Edward Williams (businessman)
Edward Porter Williams (May 10, 1843 – May 4, 1903) was an American businessman who co-founded the Sherwin-Williams Company with Henry Sherwin.
Early life
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he graduated from Cleveland Central High School in 1859, then earned a bachelor's (1864) and master's (1869) degree from Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve University).[1]
Civil War
Edward and his brother Charles joined the Army in 1862, along with the entire Western Reserve University, faculty and student alike. They were assigned to Company B, 85th Ohio Volunteers and held a short-term assignment at Camp Chase guarding Confederate prisoners. He mustered out at Columbus, Ohio, and had to be carried there on a cot, as he was recovering from typhoid fever.
Family
Edward married Mary Louise Mason. Children: Edward Mason Williams(Mary Redmond), Sarah Granger Williams(Abrahm Garfield), Lewis Mason Williams (Lester Coffeen), Reba Louise Williams (Arthur Douglas Baldwin), Walter Williams.
Business
In 1865, Edward and his brother Charles, along with Edward L Day entered the glass business in Kent, Ohio as Day & Williams. He left that company in 1870, investing $15,000 to partner with Henry A. Sherwin. Edward P. Williams was Executive Vice President and a member of the Board of Directors of the company at the time of his death.
Burial
Edward Porter Williams is buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.
References
- ^ Hallett, Anthony; Hallett, Diane. (1997). Entrepreneur Magazine Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurs, Wiley, pp. 420–421. ISBN 0-471-17536-6.
Further reading
- Sherwin-Williams Company (1955), The Story of Sherwin-Williams, Lakeside Press.
- McDermott, Kathleen; Dyer, Davis. (1991). America's Paint Company: A History of Sherwin-Williams, Winthrop Group.
- "Paint without pain", American Heritage, volume 17, issue 4, spring 2002, accessed November 11, 2010. Archived by WebCite on November 11, 2010.
- "Sherwin Williams Co.", The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, accessed November 11, 2010. Archived by WebCite on November 11, 2010.
- "The Sherwin-Williams Company", International Directory of Company Histories (2008), accessed November 11, 2010. Hosted by encyclopedia.com.