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O. C. Barber
Photo: The Successful American, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons7

O. C. Barber

American businessman (1841–1920)

Ohio Columbus Barber (April 20, 1841 – February 4, 1920) was an American businessman, industrialist and philanthropist. He was called "America's Match King" because of his controlling interest in the Diamond Match Company, which had 85 percent of the market in 1881.2

From Wikipedia’s article on O. C. Barber (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Apr 20, 1841, died Feb 4, 1920.1

About

At his peak, his companies had a labor force of thousands while his products were used by most people in the United States and a sizable fraction of the world's population on a daily basis.

Barber founded the city of Barberton, Ohio, in 1891 and moved his manufacturing plant there in 1894. It produced 250 million matches per day. He also founded the Akron City Hospital.

From Wikipedia’s article on O. C. Barber, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Career

Occupation: founder.4

Personal life

  • CitizenshipUnited States5

After the American Civil War, when Barber was 26, he married Laura Brown of Coventry, Ohio. They had one daughter Anna, the namesake years later for a lake and park in Barberton, and a son Charles, who died young. Anna Dean Farm was named after their daughter and her husband, Dr. Arthur Dean Bevan. Laura died in 1894. After being a widower for 20 years, in 1915 Barber married Mary Orr, who had worked as his secretary and shared his vision.

From Wikipedia’s article on O. C. Barber (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sources

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