William Henry Gorman was born in Woodstock, Howard County, Maryland

Howard County, Maryland

-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*62.2% White*17.5% Black*0.3% Native American*14.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.6% Two or more races*2.0% Other races*5.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

. William Gorman was the younger brother of Arthur Pue Gorman

Arthur Pue Gorman

Arthur Pue Gorman was a United States Senator from Maryland, serving from 1881 to 1899 and from 1903 to 1906. He also served in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1869 to 1875...

. He was raised at a farmstead called "Good Fellowship" dating back to the original land grant by Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore

Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore

Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, 1st Proprietor and 1st Proprietary Governor of Maryland, 9th Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland , was an English peer who was the first proprietor of the Province of Maryland. He received the proprietorship after the death of his father, George Calvert, the...

, as well as a family home in Laurel, Maryland

Laurel, Maryland

Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...

. He went to school at Boromeo College in Pikesville, Maryland

Pikesville, Maryland

Pikesville is a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Pikesville is just northwest of the Baltimore city limits. It is the northwestern suburb closest to Baltimore.The population was 29,123 at the 2000 census...

. In 1866, he served as the deputy revenue collector alongside his brother. In 1871, he founded the Maryland and City Hotels in Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...

. In 1874, he co-founded the Annapolis Savings Institution, the Annapolis Water Company, and the Annapolis Gas and Electric Light Company. In 1884, Gorman moved to Baltimore, Maryland investing in coal companies. Gorman was the president of The Piedmont Mining Company, and the Gorman Coal and Coke Company. Gorman was also on the board of directors of the Peidmont and Cumberland Railway

West Virginia Central and Pittsburg Railway

The West Virginia Central and Pittsburg Railway was a railroad in West Virginia and Maryland operating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It had main lines radiating from Elkins, West Virginia in four principal directions: north to Cumberland, Maryland; west to Belington, WV; south to...

.

In 1890, Gorman co-founded of the Citizen's Bank of Laurel, Maryland

Laurel, Maryland

Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...

 with Barnes Compton

Barnes Compton

Barnes Compton was a wealthy planter who became a politician at the state level before the Civil War. He was appointed as Maryland State Treasurer, serving 1872-1885. He was elected to the US House of Representatives from the fifth congressional district of Maryland...

 and was named the Director. In 1891, Gorman and his brother Arthur founded the Cumberland Coal Company in Tucker County, West Virginia

Tucker County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,321 people, 3,052 households, and 2,121 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile . There were 4,634 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile...

 with 300 employees and 140 coke ovens.

Gorman and his father were the proprietor's of several quarries in Laurel that furnished granite for the U.S. Treasury Building

Treasury Building (Washington, D.C.)

The Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. is a National Historic Landmark building which is the headquarters of the United States Department of the Treasury....

 and the United States Capitol

United States Capitol

The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...

, and bridges for the B&O Railroad. His father, Peter Gorman was outspoken about Virginia's succession. While on a 1862 trip to collect debts in Richmond Virginia he was imprisoned by Governor Letcher

John Letcher

John Letcher was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress, was the 34th Governor of Virginia during the American Civil War, and later served in the Virginia General Assembly...

in Libby prison where he later died.

William Gorman died July 7, 1915 from a stroke paralysis at Ford Springs Pennsylvania.