Dates
Biography
A member of the CMA’s Advisory Board from 1914 to his death, Paul L. Feiss was a business executive, bibliophile and civic leader. He graduated from University School, a private preparatory school for boys, in 1890. He was with his father’s men’s clothing manufacturing firm starting in 1892. By 1907 his father was a partner under the reorganized company name Joseph & Feiss Co. Paul L. Feiss was chairman of the company's board as of 1938.
During World War I, Feiss served as the federal representative of the Division of Housing of the Department of Labor for the Cleveland District. Shortly after the war, he was named a member of President Woodrow Wilson's Industrial Conference.
Feiss was a collector of books, 5,000 of which were acquired by Kent State University. Of those, 450 rare books formed the basis for the library’s Special Collections department. He was an expert in incunabula, early printing, and rare 16th and 17th century editions. With a working knowledge of Latin, he also spoke and wrote fluent German.
Feiss served as president of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce and of Mt. Sinai Hospital, head of the Cleveland Community Fund, member of the Cleveland Musical Arts Association, which organized the Cleveland Orchestra, and president and board member of the Rowfant Club, which made him a fellow. For the last two years of his life, Feiss served on the Cleveland Heights Planning Commission.
Paul L. Feiss married Edith Lehman in 1903 and had four children. He died in Cleveland Heights in 1952.
Sources
“Feiss, Paul Louis,” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, accessed 6/4/2025. https://case.edu/ech/articles/f/feiss-paul-louis
“Joseph & Feiss Co.,” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, accessed 6/4/2025. https://case.edu/ech/articles/j/joseph-feiss-co
Ingalls Library Clipping file
Adapted by Anne Cuyler Salsich from “Feiss, Paul Louis,” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
Occupations
Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:
File — Box: 20, Folder: 9
Scope and Contents note
From the Series:
This is the largest series of records documenting Whiting's tenure as director of The Cleveland Museum of Art. Most of the series dates from 1913 to 1930, the years that Whiting was director, although a small percentage predates his arrival in Cleveland (see, for example, Henry Kent's correspondence with the building committee from 1912-1913, located in box 1). These records reflect a time when museum functions and departments were not yet fully delineated. Together, they...
Dates:
1914-1929
File — Box: 16, Folder: 27
Scope and Contents note
From the Series:
This is the central correspondence file from Milliken's tenure as director, dating from 1930-1958. When Milliken became director, he apparently continued Whiting's numerical filing scheme for awhile, but at some point he (or someone on his support staff) decided to establish a new central file of director's correspondence in an alphabetical sequence by correspondent names and subject terms. Materials in each file are usually arranged chronologically, although general files, such as those...
Dates:
1932-1953
Scope and Contents note
From the Collection:
This collection was transferred to the archives from the Ingalls Library which had retained a large number of lantern slides as historic objects following digitization of the image library.The collection consists of image masters for views of architecture; artwork, including works by Cleveland artists and a small number of works from educational exhibitions; Cleveland Museum of Art views not duplicated in photo studio department records; and a lecture on camouflage from WWII retained as an...
Dates:
about 1916-1955
Scope and Contents note
From the Collection:
This collection was transferred to the archives from the Ingalls Library which had retained a large number of lantern slides as historic objects following digitization of the image library.The collection consists of image masters for views of architecture; artwork, including works by Cleveland artists and a small number of works from educational exhibitions; Cleveland Museum of Art views not duplicated in photo studio department records; and a lecture on camouflage from WWII retained as an...
Dates:
about 1916-1955
