George Keats
George Keats (28 February 1797 – 24 December 1841) was an American businessman and civic leader in Louisville, Kentucky, as it emerged from a frontier entrepôt into a mercantile centre of the old northwest. He was also the younger brother of the Romantic poet John Keats.
George Keats | |
|---|---|
Portrait of George Keats by Joseph Severn, 1817 | |
| Born | 28 February 1797 |
| Died | 24 December 1841 (aged 44) |
| Resting place | Cave Hill Cemetery Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | Georgiana Augusta Wylie |
| Children | 8 |
| Relatives | John Keats (brother) |
During the years from 1821 to 1841, Keats led a philosophical society, meant to overcome Louisville's raw culture, operating a literary salon in his living room which evolved into the Lyceum and then into the board of Louisville College, the precursor to the University of Louisville.
In 1827, Keats was elected to the Ohio Bridge Commission, laying the foundation for the river's first crossing. The state government appointed him to the board of the Bank of Kentucky in 1832. He joined the boards of ten other organisations, including the Kentucky Historical Society and the Harlan Museum, which he headed. In 1841, he was elected to the city council.