FITCH, JABEZ W. (1823-5 April 1884), son of Gurdon and Hannah (Peck) Fitch, was a native Cleveland attorney who served as commandant of Camp Taylor in Cleveland during the CIVIL WAR. In 1852 Fitch served as Cleveland fire chief; he was appointed U.S. marshal in 1855 when the seat of the Northern District of the U.S. Federal Court was established in Cleveland. In the spring and summer of 1861, he served as commandant of Camp Taylor, a camp of rendezvous and preliminary instruction. He later enlisted as a private in the 19th Ohio Volunteer Infantry and served as quartermaster. After the Civil War, Fitch returned to Cleveland and sold real estate. In 1873 he was elected president of the Cleveland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which later became known as the Cleveland Humane Society. In 1874 he became president of a statewide humane society. The following year, he was elected lieutenant governor of Ohio under Gov. Bishop. Fitch married Mary J. Dolman; they had no children. He died in Cleveland and was buried in ERIE STREET CEMETERY.
Annals of the Early Settlers Association of Cuyahoga County (1886).