Bingham, Charles W. (1846-1920)
Dates
- Existence: 1846 - 1920
Biography
A successful businessman in Cleveland, Charles Bingham chaired the CMA Building Committee and represented two trusts that financed the construction of the CMA, the Huntington Art & Polytechnic and the Horace Kelley Art Foundation. He was a museum trustee from its incorporation in 1913 to 1920.
Born in Cleveland, Bingham graduated from Yale with a BA in 1868. He spent 3 years in Europe studying geology, mining, and chemistry. He earned his MA from Yale in 1871 and began working in Cleveland. He married Mary Payne, who inherited a fortune from her father, Senator Oliver Payne. For years he was his father’s successor as president of Wm. Bingham & Co., and from 1881 until his death, was president of the Standard Tool Co. He served on several banking boards and arranged business matters for family members, for which he establish Perry-Payne Co.
From 1892 until his death, Bingham was a trustee of the Western Reserve Historical Society. He was treasurer of the Case Library and president of the Case Library Association. A trustee of the Lake View Cemetery Association, Bingham was also a member of the First Presbyterian (Old Stone) Church from 1862, and a trustee from 1909 until his death in 1929. He was buried in Lake View Cemetery.
Sources:
Ingalls Library clipping file.
“Bingham, Charles W.,” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Case Western Reserve University, accessed 4/16/2025.
-Biography by Anne Cuyler Salsich, April 2025