William M. Ampt, also known as Citizen Ampt[1][2] for his "staunch views on the duties of a citizen",[3] (February 1, 1840, in Trenton, Ohio – December 16, 1909, in Cincinnati, Ohio)[4] was an American lawyer.
In 1876, he played a role in the disputed presidential election, traveling to Florida, where he convinced electoral officers to reject votes from two pro-Tilden precincts in Hamilton County.[5]
Ampt was also a proponent of the constructed languageVolapük, and was one of the two American delegates to the 1889 international Volapük convention in Paris.[7]
Upon his death, it was revealed that Ampt had bequeathed nearly his entire estate (worth $150,000 in 1909 money) to the city of Cincinnati, to sponsor free public concerts;[2] these concerts were still taking place as of 2012.[8]
^ ab"William M. Ampt"(PDF). New York Times. December 18, 1909. Retrieved 2015-05-10. William M. Ampt, an attorney known to the people of Cincinnati as 'Citizen Ampt,' died at his home there Thursday night. His zeal for civic rights caused him to oppose the enactment and to attack the constitutionality of numberless laws.
^ abcHenry A. Ford and Kate B. Ford (1881). "William M. Ampt". History Of Cincinnati, Ohio, With Illustrations And Biographical Sketches. L.A. Williams & Co. Mr. W. M. Ampt, a lawyer by profession, was born in Trenton, Butler county, Ohio, February 1, 1840. Both his parents emigrated from Germany, one in 1832 and the other in 1837, the father coming from Hesse-Darmstadt, and the mother, whose maiden name was Rosa, from Bavaria. ...
