Charles Tudor Williams

Charles Tudor Williams was born on April 13, 1839, in Cleveland, Ohio, to William Williams and Laura Fitch Williams. He was the sixth of William’s ten children and the fourth of Laura’s children. His father William migrated to the Western Reserve region in 1811, when William was eight years old, accompanied by his parents. Laura Fitch Williams was the daughter of Zalmon Fitch, who served as president of Western Reserve Bank and the Bank of Cleveland and was the founder and president of the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad, which later merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Charles Williams attended Cleveland Central High School, notable for being the first free public high school west of the Allegheny Mountains. During his time there, he was a classmate of John D. Rockefeller. He completed his college education at Western Reserve College in 1861, now known as Case Western Reserve University, and also studied at Cleveland Medical College, which is now part of the same university. After graduation, he returned to Western Reserve College as a tutor.

In 1862, during the American Civil War, Williams, along with most of Western Reserve College's faculty and students, responded to the call for troops. He enlisted for a three-month term in the Eighty-Fifth Ohio Regiment, serving in Company B alongside his brother Edward Williams. He was discharged after two months due to disability, on the same day his brother Edward was promoted to Corporal.

Following his military service, Charles, his brother Edward, and Edward L. Day founded the Day & Williams Glass Company, also known as Day, Williams & Co. and Kent Rock Glass Company. The business was successful from 1865 until 1887, when competition from companies with access to natural gas and cheaper production costs posed challenges to coal-dependent manufacturers. Edward Williams left the company in 1870 to form a partnership with Henry Sherwin, which became the Sherwin-Williams Company.

In 1887, Charles Williams shifted his career to education, accepting a professorship teaching Greek at Cleveland Central High School, a position he held until 1892. During this period, he published a study guide in 1890, which remains in print as of 2014 in a reprinted edition.

In 1892, Williams relocated to Chicago, where he became involved in the import of sugar and fruit through his enterprise, C.T. Williams Co. In 1896, he joined the Cleveland Box Company as manager and vice president, a role he maintained until his death. Under his leadership, the company expanded nationwide and developed patented lines of specialized boxes.

Williams served on the boards of several organizations, including the Merchants & Manufacturers Insurance Company, the General Package Company of New York City, Lake Superior Construction Company, and the National Box Association of the United States. He served as president of the National Box Association for one year. An accomplished linguist, Williams was fluent in French and German and could read Greek and Latin.

He was also involved in music, composing and performing as an organist under the pseudonym "Guglielimi." He played the organ and led the choir at the First Congregational Church of Kent, Ohio, for twenty-five years.

In his personal life, Williams married Mary P. Carver in 1866 in Kent, Ohio. Mary Carver was descended from explorer Jonathan Carver and Robert Carver, an early Plymouth Colony settler. Charles and Mary had two sons: Dr. William Carver Williams and Day Williams. Mary Williams died in 1896. In 1907, Charles married Mari Carlson, who was from Sweden.

Charles Tudor Williams passed away on January 7, 1914.