History
Early Settlers
Samuel Williamson – Judge and Railroad Counsel
9717 Lake Shore Boulevard
Samuel Eladsit Williamson was born on April 19, 1844, the son of Samuel and Mary Williamson. He graduated from Western Reserve College in 1864 and went on to graduate from Harvard Law School in 1866. In February 1867, he joined his father in the practice of law.
Williamson was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1880. He resigned in September 1882 to become general counsel for the Nickel Plate Railroad, eventually heading the legal department for the New York Central Railroad from 1898 until his death.
Samuel was married twice. His first marriage was to Mary Peabody Marsh on June 4, 1878. She died three years later on May 1, 1881, and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery. They had two children: Mary and Ethel. In 1884, Samuel married Harriet W. Brown, who was born on April 5, 1852. They had a son, Samuel B., born on April 15, 1887.
In 1899, the first Williamson Building was constructed on the corner of Euclid Avenue and Public Square in downtown Cleveland on the site of the original Samuel Williamson homestead. It was a four-story building and was damaged by fire in 1895.
On April 1, 1890, the second Williamson Building was constructed on the site. It had seventeen stories, the tallest building in Cleveland when completed, and served as the gateway to Euclid Avenue for over eighty years.
In 1944, the lobbies of the Williamson Building and the adjacent Cuyahoga Building were joined on the interior. Both buildings were demolished in October 1982 to create a new headquarters building for Sohio (BP America).
Like his father and grandfather, Samuel Williamson served as a director of the Merchants Bank of Ohio. Also, he was a trustee of the Cleveland Society for Savings. He became a director and vice president of several corporations connected with the New York Central system of railroads, besides being a member of the Eastern Railroad Association's executive committee.
Williamson served as a trustee of Adelbert College (Western Reserve University). He was one of the University School founders and was president of its board of trustees from 1890 until 1909. He served as president of the First Presbyterian Church of Cleveland, was a trustee of Old Stone Church, and trustee of Lakeside Hospital.
Samuel Williamson died on February 21, 1903. Harriet died on May 2, 1933, and was buried alongside Samuel in Lake View Cemetery.