Finding aid for the George S. Dively Papers, Series II

Biography of George S. Dively

George Samuel Dively (1902 1988) was a prominent business and civic leader in Cleveland. He led the Harris Corporation from 1947 to 1972 through a strategy of planned growth and innovation, from a small manufacturer of printing presses to a multinational producer of high technology communications and information processing equipment.

He was born in Claysburg, Pennsylvania, to Michael A. and Martha A. (Dodson). He attended Lock Haven State College, earned a B.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and an M.B.A. at Harvard. He received honorary degrees from Case Western Reserve University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Florida Institute of Technology. In 1933 he married Harriet G. Seeds (d. 1968), and they had one son, Michael (b. 1939), an attorney and former Michigan state legislator. Mr. Dively married Juliette Gaudin in 1969, and had three stepsons, Paul, John, and Perry Howland.

He worked at North American Refractories, in investment banking, and at Republic Steel Corporation during the Great Depression. He joined Harris Seybold Potter Company of Cleveland, a predecessor to Harris Corporation, in 1937. He became a director in 1941, was named vice president and general manager in 1944, and in 1947, president. He served as president and chairman of the board from 1954 1961, when he resigned the presidency, continuing to serve as board chairman until his retirement in 1972. Under his leadership the company implemented in a series of five year plans, and its annual sales increased from $10 million to over $2 billion. He orchestrated a series of acquisitions, including the 1967 merger with Radiation Inc. and subsequent relocation of the company's headquarters to Florida, where Harris Corp. became that state's largest industrial employer. His 1971 book The Power of Professional Management was one of several influential publications and addresses on business and management issues which he produced. He was a fellow of the American Management Association, a director of Warner & Swasey Co. and of Central National Bank. He was co founder of the Cleveland One Percent Plan to encourage corporate support for higher education. A former vice chairman of the Case Western Reserve University Board of Trustees, he endowed a professorship in electrical engineering at the school. He participated in the leadership of Cleveland NOW, Cleveland Tomorrow, and other urban renewal and improvement efforts. A conference center in the College of Urban Affairs building at Cleveland State University, where he helped establish a scholarship fund, is named for George and Juliette Dively. He endowed the Geo. S. Dively Foundation in 1956 to assist a variety of charitable and educational enterprises.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for George S. Dively

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the George S. Dively Foundation

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Harris Corp.

Scope and Content

The George S. Dively Papers, Series II, 1943-1990 consist of correspondence, financial records, legal records, memoirs, newsletters, newspaper and magazine clippings, publications, published speech texts, and wills.

The collection is of interest to those researching the philanthropic history of Cleveland, Ohio, and the legal and financial issues regarding the disposition of the estate of George S. Dively. Researchers interested in the published articles and presentations given by George Dively on topics such as business management, post-World War II economics, and the Harris Corporation will find this collection useful. Researchers will find information related to George Dively's second wife, Juliette Dively, and his son, Michael Dively, in this collection as well. The collection also contains information related to Harris Corporation equipment that was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D. C.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

The researcher should also consult MS 4634 George S. Dively Papers; MS 4635 George S. Dively Foundation Records; and MS 4876 George S. Dively Foundation Records, Series II.

All photographs have been removed to the photograph and print collection.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4877 George S. Dively Papers, Series II, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Michael Dively, 1997

Processing Information

Processed by Sarah E. Keating and Margaret Burzynski-Bays in 2003

Detailed Description of The Collection