(1850-1912)

Oil on Canvas, 48 x 36 in

The Union Club of Cleveland, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Everett, Jr.

New York City portraitist Ellen Emmet Rand painted this likeness of Cleveland banker Calvary Morris, a year after his death. Born in Athens Ohio, Morris laid the foundation for his business success in the coal mines. Following his move to Cleveland he entered into partnerships in three different coal companies taking an active part in the management of all three.  In 1903 he became the 2nd president of the Cleveland Trust Company, the largest bank in the Midwest at that time.  Under Morris’s leadership the bank built a new Italian renaissance style headquarters designed by New York architect George B. Post at E 9th and Euclid Ave. which opened in 1908 and still stands today. Also during this period the bank began to merge with or acquire other savings banks such as Windemere Savings and Trust Company and Western Reserve Trust Company, enabling Cleveland Trust to establish its first branch offices, an invitation innovation in American banking. Between 1904 and 1908 14 savings institutions in Cuyahoga,  Lake and Lorain counties became part of the Cleveland Trust operations. Morris retired as president in 1908 and was appointed chairman of the board of directors.