William Alexander Julian was born on a farm near Frankfort, Kentucky. Although he had a humble beginning, he was a successful life. He was the Treasurer of the United States for sixteen years, starting in 1933. W.A. was also the shoe manufacturer of the Queen City and president of the Queen City Trust Company of Cincinnati. President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Julian to overhaul the nation’s fiscal system during the depression. He did have one failure. He lost a race for the U.S. Senate in 1920.
Julian made a successful marriage to Gertrude Rebecca Means. The daughter of William A. and Martha Elizabeth Campbell Means, Gertrude was the granddaughter of John Campbell. The couple did not have any children, but both valued commitment to society. Gertrude was the vice president of the Hamilton County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a trustee of the Widows and Old Mens Home in Cincinnati. She was presented to the court of St. James in 1936, a honor that only three other Cincinnati residents could claim.
On March 25, 1949, Gertrude died in her home in Cincinnati. The cause of death was listed as “senility.” She had last visited her hometown of Ironton twenty-eight years previously, but was planning on returning for the centennial celebrations.
Julian was killed in a car crash near Bethesda, Maryland. Supposedly, he was only three miles from his house and was heading for a golf game when he was involved in a car accident. Julian died on May 29, 1949 at the age of 78.