William Beckett
William Beckett, son of Robert Beckett and Mary Crawford Beckett, was born in Hanover Township, in this county, on the 17th of March 1821. He graduated at Miami University in 1844. In 1845 he came to reside in Hamilton and began the study of the law in the office of Hon. John Woods, whose second daughter he married in September 1846. On his admission to the bar he commenced practice with Mr. Woods. It is a fact pretty well known in the Miami Valley that Mr. Beckett is possessed of a tongue which, when engaged in conversation works very smoothly and quite effectively; but he soon ascertained that when he arose to address a jury or a public audience, that member utterly refused to perform its proper function, but rather "clove to the roof of his mouth." Thereupon he promptly abandoned the idea of practicing law, and took the position of a general business operator-buying and selling real estate, manufacturing, assisting in the management of the hydraulic works, etc.
After the death of Mr. Woods, in 1855, Mr. Beckett, his executor, took his place as director in the Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad, and also in the Cincinnati and Indianapolis roar, know as the Junction. From that day to the present he has been active and liberal supporter of every movement to advance the interests and promote the prosperity of the city and county . He is largely interest in the manufacturing industry, and any event which would deprive the city of his efficient capacity and energy would be severely felt by the whole community.
There are few men in Butler County more widely known personally than Mr. Beckett. During a considerable portion of his life he was a man of large means, and his hospitality was fully commensurate therewith. Public men when in this vicinity commonly gravitated to his home, and some of his well-known political influence may have been promoted in this way.
From A History and Biographical Cyclopædia of Butler County Ohio, With Illustrations and Sketches of its Representative Men and Pioneers, Western Biographical Publishing Company, Cincinnati Ohio, 1882.