Notable people · Business
Cyrus S. Eaton
Nova Scotia-born financier who came to Cleveland to work for East Ohio Gas, settled there in 1913, founded Republic Steel (1927) and chaired the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (1954). He sponsored the first Pugwash Conference (1957). He died at his Ohio home and is buried in Nova Scotia.
At a glance
- Born
- 1883-12-27
- Died
- 1979-05-09
- Education
- McMaster University, Toronto, to 1905, BA philosophy
- Woodstock College, Ontario
- Known as
- Business
- Organizations
- Republic Steel, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Life story
Cyrus Eaton was born near Pugwash, Nova Scotia, in 1883 and earned a philosophy degree at McMaster in 1905, planning to become a Baptist minister.
At 17 he met John D. Rockefeller through his uncle's Cleveland church and worked for him as a messenger, then built a seventy-year business career in gas utilities, steel, banking and railways.
He established Republic Steel in 1927 and by 1929 was worth about $100 million, lost much in the Depression, and rebuilt it, becoming chairman of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1954.
He sponsored the first Pugwash Conference on nuclear dangers in 1957, won the Lenin Peace Prize in 1960 and died at his Northfield, Ohio, farm in 1979. His ashes are buried in Nova Scotia.
Timeline
- 1883-12-27: Born near Pugwash, Nova Scotia (Pugwash, Nova Scotia) source
- 1905: Earns BA at McMaster University (Toronto, Canada) source
- 1907: Marries Margaret House (Canada) source
- 1927: Establishes Republic Steel (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1954: Becomes chairman of Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (Cleveland, OH) source
- 1957: Sponsors first Pugwash Conference (Pugwash, Nova Scotia) source
- 1960: Receives Lenin Peace Prize (USSR) source
- 1979-05-09: Dies at Acadia Farm in Northfield, Ohio (Northfield, OH) source
What Cyrus is known for
- Financier; founded Republic Steel (1927) per Wikipedia
- Chairman, Chesapeake & Ohio Railway from 1954
- Sponsored the 1957 Pugwash Conferences; supported the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
- Republic Steel, 1927
- Pugwash Conferences sponsorship, 1957
Honors and things named for them
- Lenin Peace Prize, 1960
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences fellow, 1958
Family
- wife: Margaret House
- wife: Anne Kinder Jones
- mentor: John D. Rockefeller
Ohio places
Where Cyrus S. Eaton was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Worked: Cleveland, Cuyahoga County ZIP 44114 · Cleveland · Cuyahoga County
- Lived: Northfield, Summit County ZIP 44067 · Northfield · Summit County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.
- Cyrus S. Eaton (Wikipedia, pointer) dates, Republic Steel, C&O, Pugwash, museum
- Cyrus Stephen Eaton (Encyclopedia of Cleveland History) born Pugwash NS 1883-12-27, Cleveland 1913, Rockefeller help, C&O 1954