KEITH, WILLIAM HENRY, Zeta #0049 and Tau #0036, (b February 7, 1873, Timmonsville, South Carolina; d February 16, 1937, Greenville, South Carolina). Occupation: Businessman, elected government official. His parents were Jesse E. Keith (1849-1877) and Sarah Kate Sykes (1846-1918), of Timmonsville, South Carolina. He attended the Citadel briefly and was initiated into the Tau Chapter of Sigma Nu National Fraternity while there. He transferred to Central University, Richmond, Kentucky, where he was reinitiated into the Zeta Chapter of Sigma Nu in 1892. It is unknown if he graduated from Central University. He was a general mercantile businessman specializing in hardware. He was president of the McSween Mercantile Company, a director of the Bank of Timmonsville and the Merchants and Planters Bank at Lamar. He was director of the Timmonsville Oil Mill. He was president of the Retail Hardware Association of the Carolinas and vice-president of the Carolina Hardware Mutual Fire Insurance Company. In addition to his business interests he served as alderman and mayor of Timmonsville and from 1925-1929 was a state representative representing Timmonsville. On April 14, 1897, he married Cora Elizabeth Byrd (1878-=1968). They had five children: Lula (1898-1905), William Henry, Jr. (1900-1910), James M. (1902-1903), Dorothy Sykes Keith Hunter (1904-1990), and Margaret Louise Keith (1907-2002). He, his wife and several family members are buried in the Byrd Cemetery, Timmonsville, South Carolina, USA.

Sources:
- Ancestry.com genealogy website.
- Newspaper.com website.
- Findagrave.com website.
- The Delta of Sigma Nu magazine.
- Who's Who in Sigma Nu: The Historic Roll Call of the Legion of Honor. Sigma Nu Fraternity, Inc. (1994).
Contributor: G. P. (47124408)