Norton, David Z. (1851-1928)
Dates
- Existence: 1851 - 1928
Biography
David Norton, a Cleveland native, began his career in the Commercial National Bank of Cleveland at the age of eighteen. He married Mary Castle in 1876; they had three children. In 1890 he left the bank for a partnership in Oglebay and Co., prominent in the ownership and operation of iron mines in the Lake Superior region, and a fleet of steamships for transporting material. He retired in 1924 but remained a director of Oglebay, Norton and Co. until his death.
Norton was a trustee of the CMA since its incorporation in 1913 and was a vice president from 1926 to his death two years later. He had long served as a trustee of The Horace Kelly Art Foundation and The Hinman B. Hurlbut Estate, two of the three trusts pre-dating and leading to the organization of the museum. He had been a member of the Accessions Committee since it was organized, and an enthusiastic member of the Print Club, which played a large part in developing the Collection of Prints and Drawings. Norton was a contributor to the General Endowment Fund and a subscriber to an inaugural exhibition fund. He was an early member of The Friends of the Cleveland Museum of Art, an auxiliary organization. Norton was greatly interested in beautifying the park between the museum and Euclid Avenue and subscribed to a fund raised among the trustees to cover part of the cost. In recognition of his generous gifts to the CMA, Norton was elected a benefactor in 1923.
Norton was one of the first to present gifts of artworks to the CMA: Japanese inro (small container worn as an accessory) in 1916, a collection of fifty-two Japanese bronze mirrors in 1917, and a collection of 299 Japanese sword guards in 1919.
David Norton and his wife Mary were heavily involved in cultural and social activities. David was active in local, state and national political affairs. He was a trustee of the Diocese of Ohio, Kenyon College, Adelbert College, University School, Western Reserve University (Case Western Reserve University), Western Reserve Historical Society, and the Cleveland School of Art (Cleveland Art Institute). He was honored with degrees from Kenyon College and Western Reserve University. David Norton was a notable collector of Napoleana and had been president of the Union Club, the Country Club, and the Rowfant Club in Cleveland, as well as a member of the Grolier Club in New York.
Both the Nortons were involved in Cleveland’s musical arts. Mary Norton was a member of the Fortnightly Musical Club, vice president of the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a director and one of the founders of the Musical Arts Association. David Norton was a vice president of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra; he began by supporting concerts by visiting orchestras starting in 1901. In 1915 he became the first president of the Musical Arts Association, which managed the Orchestra concerts in collaboration with the Fortnightly Musical Club.
David Norton died in 1928, less than a day after the death of his wife. They are buried in Lake View Cemetery.
Sources
Ingalls Library Clipping file
F.A.W., “David Z. Norton,” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 15, no.2 (February 1928): 23-24.
“Norton, David Z.,” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Case Western Reserve University, accessed 4/30/2025. https://case.edu/ech/articles/n/norton-david-z
-Biography by Anne Cuyler Salsich, May 2025