Category: Business and Industry

LEMMERS, A. EUGENE (7 July 1907-2 June 1992), inventor in the field of lighting, was born in Cleveland the son of Maurice and Florence Victoria (Bierbrier) Lemmers. After graduation from Glenville High School in 1926, he began working for General Electric at Nela Park and took college courses but did not earn a degree.

LEMPCO INDUSTRIES, INC. was the umbrella corporation for 5 companies operating in the fields of auto rebuilding and replacement parts, die sets and supplies, and specialized machines. Started in 1918 as the Lake Erie Metal Products Co., the company produced war material in the ebbing days of World War I. After the armistice, owners James F.

The LEONARD SCHLATHER BREWING CO. was begun in 1857 by Leonard Schlather and operated by him until 1902. Schlather, born in Ebenhausen, Wurttemburg, Germany in 1835, emigrated to America in 1852. After coming to Cleveland, Schlather began his own brewery in 1857 with the aid of a loan from his brother, Frederick. He built a brick building at Carroll Ave. and York (W. 28th) St.

LEOPOLD BROTHERS FURNITURE was established in 1859 by Henry Leopold and has been continuously operated by the family. Leopold came to the city from Germany in 1853 and worked as a cabinetmaker for 6 years before opening his own furniture shop at Lorain and Green streets in 1859. He made his own furniture in the store basement as well as caskets, which he sold to the immigrants in the neighborhood.

LERNER, ALFRED "AL"  (8 May 1933-23 October 2002) was a businessman, philanthropist and former owner of the CLEVELAND BROWNS.

LEVY AND STEARN, a company that specialized in women's apparel and toys, was established in 1862 when Isaac Levy and Abraham Stearn opened a toy and novelty store on Superior Ave. near W. 9th St. Business grew rapidly and it became the leading toy store in the region. When Levy left the firm in 1895, it became Stearn & Co. and moved to a new location on Euclid Ave. That year it introduced a line of women's clothing.

The LEZIUS HILES CO., a century-old commercial printing firm built by merger to regional prominence, began in 1888 as the Forest City Printing House with $600 in capital and was located on Champlain St. In 1914 it was incorporated as the Lezius Printing Co., and in 1919 the company bought out the Hiles & Coggshall Co., a small general printing firm started in 1883. The newly formed Lezius Hiles Co.

LIFE SAVERS, the brightly colored ring-shaped candies, were developed by Cleveland chocolate manufacturer Clarence A. Crane, father of poet HART CRANE. Clarence Crane began making and selling chocolate candy in Cleveland in Apr. 1891. The following year he introduced "Crane's Peppermint Life Savers" to bolster his slow chocolate sales during the summer.

LIGGETT-STASHOWER, INC., was formed from the merger of two of Cleveland's leading advertising agencies. Carr Liggett, formerly a vice-president of the Krichbaum-Liggett agency, established his own firm, Carr Liggett, Inc., in 1933 with offices in the Leader Bldg., 524 Superior. By 1937 Carr Liggett had moved to the NBC Bldg., 815 Superior.

The LINCOLN ELECTRIC COMPANY has an international reputation as a pioneer in arc welding and for its innovative employee profit-sharing program.  It was founded by engineer John C. Lincoln in 1895 to manufacture an industrial motor of his own design.   Before opening his own shop, Lincoln worked with prominent figures in the growing field of electricity and electric manufacturing in Cleveland.

LINCOLN, JAMES F. (14 May 1883-23 June 1965), head of LINCOLN ELECTRIC CO. from 1914 until his death, was born near Painesville, Ohio and studied electrical engineering at Ohio State University, leaving without his degree in 1907 due to typhoid fever; he was awarded his degree in 1926. In 1907, Lincoln joined his brother's Lincoln Electric Co.

The LINDSAY WIRE WEAVING CO. became one of the country's leading manufacturers of papermill wire cloth. It was established when Hamilton L. Lindsay, a mechanic at the W. S. Tyler Co., invented an automatic power loom for weaving metal. Realizing the potential for his machine to revolutionize the papermaking process, Lindsay quickly secured a patent.

LINDSETH, ELMER L. (12 Feb. 1902 - 26 Jan. 1999), chairman of the CLEVELAND ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING COMPANY, directed advertising campaigns that promoted his company and boosted the image of the city. Lindesth was born in Chicago to Swedish born parents, Lena (Anderson) and Andrew Lindseth.

The LION KNITTING MILLS produced high quality knit goods for 78 years. Founded in 1912 by Louis and Harold Ensten at 1011 Power Ave., the knitting mill produced a variety of knit goods for the military and the private-label market. Lion's first product, the varsity or award-letter sweater, was knitted on hand-operated machines.

LONG, WILLIAM FREW (28 Apr. 1880-7 Jan. 1984), businessman, officer, and mayor of Macedonia, Ohio, was born in Allegheny, Pa., to Edward and Ella Edgar Long. He spent his early days in affluence until his father lost his fortune.

The LORAIN ST. BANK was formed at Lorain and Fulton in 1890 as the Lorain St. Savings and Trust with $100,000 capital. Over the years, the capital of the Lorain Bank was increased to $500,000 and its assets grew to $10 million; in 1929 the bank had over 20,000 depositors. As the economic pressures of the Depression mounted, the Lorain St. Bank and Trust worked with other local banks to limit foreclosures.

LOWE, K. (KOSCIUSKO) ELMO (27 Aug. 1899 - 26 Jan. 1971) capped 48 years as an actor and director with the CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE by serving as its second managing director from 1958 to 1969.

LTV CORP. See MITTAL STEEL USA.


LTV STEEL. See MITTAL STEEL USA.


LUBRIZOL CORP., a diversified chemical company ranked 344th among the Fortune 500 companies in 1985, was founded on 28 July 1928 as the Graphite Oil Prods. Corp. by Francis A. "Alex" Nason, Thos. W. James, and three brothers: KENT H. SMITH, Vincent K. Smith, and ALBERT K. SMITH.

LUCKIESH, MATTHEW (14 Sept. 1883-2 Nov. 1967), renowned authority in the study of light and color application, was born in Maquoketa, Iowa, the son of John and Frances Root Luckiesh. He graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1909, an EE degree from Iowa State College in 1911, and an M.S. in 1912 from the State University of Iowa.

M. A. HANNA CO., see POLYONE CORP.


MACHINE TOOL INDUSTRY. FRANK A. SCOTT, a Clevelander at the forefront of the machine tool industry during the early 1900s, once remarked that no metal could be available for modern uses until a machine tool has been applied to shape it.

The MAJESTIC HOTEL was the largest hotel in Cleveland that catered to AFRICAN AMERICANS and, in its last 23 years, the largest black-owned hotel in Ohio. Opened 1902 as Majestic Apartments, the 5-story, 250-unit brick building at 2291 E.

MALLEY'S CANDIES, INC. is a family of nationally known chocolatiers who, in 2004, owned and operated chocolate and ice cream businesses which manufactured and sold their products in 15 stores throughout Greater Cleveland. After borrowing $500 in 1935, Albert (Mike) Malley opened a small store at 13401 Madison Ave.