William Albert L. Rath (January 28, 1849 – August 10, 1916) was a German-American businessman and politician living in the United States who helped develop Ludington, a harbor town on Lake Michigan in Mason County, Michigan.

[1] His father, Hans, lived his entire life in Germany, while his mother, Mary, eventually came to America.

[5] Rath married Lucy Rickhoff (1848–1932),[6] who was also of German descent, on July 17, 1870[7] following a courtship that began in Germany.

[6] Initially as a laborer in Ludington sawmills, Rath was eventually promoted to lumber inspector.

[11] But the decline of the lumbering industry in the late 1800s threatened the economic well-being of many Western Michigan towns, including Ludington.

[3] Overall, a writer for the Mason County Historical Society has credited Rath as being one of the people, along with Antoine Ephrem Cartier and Justus Smith Stearns, who helped Ludington transition away from lumber and into other business activities.

[7] Rath owned a number of properties in Mason and Manistee counties,[2] including a cottage on the south beach at Epworth Heights, a Ludington summer resort.

[6] Charles Street, which had been named for a relative of James Ludington's,[19] was renamed Rath Avenue in 1921.

"[12] The mural is located on Rath Avenue and was painted by Ludington artist Therese Soles.