John Corlett - Manufacturers Agent
13123 Lake Shore Boulevard
John Corlett had been continuously associated with J. F. Corlett & Co., a steel and steel manufacturers’ agent from 1890 until his retirement in 1946.
The firm was district agents over the State of Ohio for such mills as Lukens Steel Company in Coatesville, Pennsylvania; the Monongahela Tube Company in Pittsburgh; the Champion Rivet Company in Cleveland; the Franklin Steel Works in Johnstown, Pennsylvania; the Eastern Steel Corporation in Brooklyn, New York; and the Alan Wood Steel Company in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
John Frederick Corlett was born on May 25, 1861, on a farm in Concord, Ohio, son of Robert and Christiana Corlett. John’s father was brought to this country when he was one year old. His family settled on farmland in Lake County.
John Corlett worked on the home farm until he was twenty years old. He spent his last two winters before leaving home as a teacher in the district schools. John acquired a considerable knowledge of farming, but he never had a desire to become a farmer.
In 1881, he came to Cleveland and was a clerk in the house of Davis & Hunt for three years. From there, Mr. Corlett went with Lockwood & Taylor, wholesale hardware merchants, and was with the firm from 1884 to 1890. During the last four years, he was a traveling representative.
Corlett then resigned to go into business for himself as J. F. Corlett & Co., establishing an iron and steel sales agency in the Perry Payne Building. In 1903, Corlett established a partnership with Mr. J. F. Cockburn as a junior partner. On August 1, 1905, the firm moved to the Rockefeller Building.
John married Minnie Ruedy of Cleveland on May 25, 1891, his birthday. Minnie was the daughter of John J. and Verina Ruedy. Her father was the head of Benedict & Ruedy, one of the city’s earliest companies dealing in raw and finished furs.
John and Minnie had one daughter, Alice Gertrude, born in Cleveland and a graduate of Hathaway-Brown School and spent one year at school in Switzerland where her mother and father were born.
Mr. Corlett maintained a lifelong interest in and was an ardent worker for welfare, civic, and social service organizations. For years, he was the treasurer of the Humane Society and, at various times, was an officer or trustee of other groups.
John was active in the Cleveland Engineering Society and the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the City Club, Civic League, Cleveland Automobile Club, and the Cleveland Builders Exchange.
Minnie Corlett died on June 5, 1946. John Corlett died on February 7, 1948. Both died at their 13123 Lake Shore Boulevard home and were buried at Lake View Cemetery.