He and his twin brother, Samuel, remained there until 1850, when their father's declining health and weakening financial situation made it necessary for the boys to leave school.

Samuel eventually moved to New York City to make his way in business there, while William stayed in Baltimore to manage his father's warehouses.

[2] In 1870, William Keyser became involved with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, taking a position as second vice-president during the term of its president, John Work Garrett.

In November 1894, Daniel Coit Gilman, the university's first president, asked Keyser for his help in securing another site for the school, which was outgrowing its location in downtown Baltimore.

Material in the Keyser-Wyman Papers recounts his association with his cousin, William Wyman, who donated a large portion on the land, and their efforts on behalf of the university.

[4] Before his death in June 1904, Keyser was appointed a member of the Citizens' Emergency Committee which was charged with developing a plan for rebuilding the downtown after the calamitous Baltimore fire of February 1904.

[9] After a funeral at the Christ Protestant Episcopal Church, William was buried in the family plot at Baltimore's historic Green Mount Cemetery.