DOW, HERBERT H. (26 Feb. 1866-15 Oct. 1930), developer of Dow Chemical Co., was born in Belleville, Ontario. The son of Joseph H. and Sarah Bunneil Dow, he moved with his family to Cleveland, and graduated with a B.S. from Case School in 1888. His senior thesis, which he presented that summer at the Cleveland meeting of the American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science, dealt with brines in Ohio.
Category: Technology
DRAVO WELLMAN CO. was a pioneer manufacturer of steel plant equipment with an international reputation for engineering some of the largest material-handling projects ever built. The firm started in 1896 as the Wellman-Seaver Engineering Co., founded by the inventor of the first open-hearth furnace in the U.S., Samuel T. Wellman, his brother, Chas. H. Wellman, and John W.
The DREHER PIANO CO. originated in 1853 when Baptiste Dreher (Sept. 1830-9 Apr. 1890) came to Cleveland and began to make melodeons. Dreher's grandfather, Meinard Dreher, was an organ builder in Illreichen near Ulm, Germany, and an acquaintance of Johann Sebastian Bach. By 1859, Baptiste Dreher had formed a partnership with Wm. J. Kinnard and had established a shop on Superior St.
DU SHATTAR, JOSEPH an early fur trader who established a trading post on the CUYAHOGA RIVER ca. 1790. According to Charles Whittlesey, the youthful Du Shattar worked for the North-West Fur Company along Lake Erie.
DUNBAR LIFE originated in 1936 as the Dunbar Mutual Insurance Society, named for Dayton, OH, poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. MELCHISEDECH C. CLARKE, an examiner for the state insurance department, was sent to Cleveland in 1935 to look into the precarious business affairs of local fraternal insurance societies.
The DUNHAM TAVERN, one of Cleveland's oldest buildings and a representative Colonial farmhouse of pioneer days, is still standing in its original location at 6709 Euclid Ave. Believed to be the first building constructed on Euclid east of E. 55th St., the tavern was originally the home of Rufus and Jane Pratt Dunham, a young couple who came to Cleveland between 1819-23 from Mansfield, MA.
The EAGLE-EYED NEWS-CATCHER began its short career on 29 Apr. 1841. Published by Gage Mortimer Shipper and David L. Wood, it was seemingly inspired by Benjamin Day's successful New York Sun (1833) in every respect but price, going for $.03 instead of Day's revolutionary penny. Like the Sun, it was printed in a 3-column format on a small page, approx. 9" x 12".
The EAST CLEVELAND RAILWAY CO. was established on 6 August 1860, when company president Harry Stevens broke ground at Euclid and Willson (E. 55th St.) avenues. By 3 Sept. 3.39 miles of single track had been laid from Willson through Prospect to Bank (W. 6th) St., and horsecars began carrying passengers on the iron-strapped wooden rails. Fare was 5 cents.
The EAST OHIO GAS CO. has supplied natural gas to the Cleveland area since receiving a controversial franchise from the city in 1902. STANDARD OIL CO. established the East Ohio Gas Co. to pipe natural gas from its wells in West Virginia to Akron for use in lighting and heating homes and businesses there and along the pipeline route. Incorporated on 8 Sept.
EASTON'S SONS, INC. See THOMAS W. EASTON'S SONS, INC.
The EATON CORP., a diversified industrial manufacturer which makes fluid power, electrical, automotive, and truck products, was founded as the Torbensen Gear & Axle Co. to make truck axles. Founded in 1911 by Viggo Torbensen, Joseph Oriel Eaton, and Eaton's brother-in-law, Henning O. Taube, the company moved from its original location in Bloomfield, New Jersey to Cleveland in 1915.
EELLS, DAN PARMELEE (16 Apr. 1825-14 Aug. 1903), a banker and financier born in Westmoreland, N.Y. to the Rev. James and Mehitable (Parmelee) Eells, moved with his family to Ohio in 1831, settling in Amherst in 1837. Eells entered Oberlin College in 1843, transferred to Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y.
ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS INDUSTRIES. The first significant application of controlled electricity in Cleveland was telegraphy, which made its appearance in the city in 1847 on the premises of the Lake Erie Telegraph Co. Fire-alarm boxes were the second useful manifestation of the "new" power in the city, and by 1865 there were 24 of them. The telephone came in 1877.
The ELECTRICAL LEAGUE OF NORTHERN OHIO, INC. was the first trade association for the electrical industry in the U.S. Its program was widely copied and it was instrumental in forming the Intl. Assn. of Electrical Leagues in 1935. Organized in 1909, it was incorporated in 1915 as the Electrical League of Cleveland, a nonprofit association of electrical contractors and manufacturers. Its founders included G. E.
ELLIOTT, CAMPBELL W. (25 June 1913-9 May 1990) was vice president of public affairs for the Van Dorn Co. from 1977 until his death. He was president of the GREATER CLEVELAND GROWTH ASSOCIATION from 1973-1977 and was active in community affairs.
ELLIOTT, FRANKLIN REUBEN (27 April 1817-10 Jan. 1878) was an early horticulturalist and fruit farmer who wrote and conducted research on fruit trees and who helped expand local awareness of the area's great variety and excellent quality of its fruit.
ELLIS, WILLIAM “BILL” DONOHUE (23 Sep. 1918 – 6 Sep. 2000) wrote dozens of historical books, movie and radio scripts, and award-winning volumes of historical fiction that brought company histories, Cleveland, and Ohio's past to life in an informative and entertaining manner.
The ELWELL PARKER ELECTRIC CO., organized in 1893 to build motors, developed the industrial truck in 1906 and pioneered its use and development to transport and handle industrial materials. The Elwell-Parker Electric Co. of America was incorporated in West Virginia on 6 July 1893. The principal incorporator was Alexander E. Brown, inventor of machinery used to load and unload bulk cargoes in Great Lakes shipping.
The EMPIRE SAVINGS & LOAN was a black-owned and operated financial institution formed to meet the needs of blacks (see AFRICAN AMERICANS) migrating from the South. It was founded in 1911 by HERBERT CHAUNCEY at 2316 E. 55th St. with $100,000 in capital solicited from his friends.
The EMPLOYERS RESOURCE COUNCIL, formerly the Associated Industries of Cleveland, is an organization of employers dedicated to assisting business and industry in the field of employee relations. Founded as the American Plan Assn. of Cleveland by 15 members of the UNION CLUB in 1920, it assumed the name Associated Industries of Cleveland in 1930.
ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT, INC., a cooperative nonprofit subsidiary of CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV. and Weatherhead School of Management, is designed to encourage innovation and entrepeneurship in Northeast Ohio.
ERIE LACKAWANNA, INC., was the company established in 1982 to liquidate the assets of the former Erie Lackawanna Railway. The liquidation, wholly centered in Cleveland, has been called one of the most successful in the annals of American business history.
ERNST & YOUNG is an international accounting firm with more than 600 offices worldwide, including more than 100 offices in the U.S. One of the country's "Big 6" accounting firms, it traces its origins locally to the firm of Ernst & Ernst. In 1903 Alwyn C. and Theodore Ernst opened an accounting office in the Schofield Bldg. (E. 9th St. Tower).
ESCAR, INC., a Cleveland based sponsored film studio, incorporated in 1925, was the brainchild of E. S. (Ernest Swaim) Carpenter (1890-1970). The company name comes from Carpenter's initials and the first three letters of his last name.
The EUCLID AVE. ASSN. was organized to promote, protect, and improve Euclid Ave. and adjacent streets from Public Square to the city limits. The association began as a subcommittee of the influential CHAMBER OF COMMERCE—CITY PLAN COMMISSION, a planning organization. The association itself was formed on 7 April 1920; its first president was H. P.