Francis Glidden and Henry Sherwin Founders of Glidden Paint and Sherwin-Williams

Paint Wars of Cleveland: Glidden vs. Sherwin

On a quiet walk through Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio, I stumbled upon an unexpected chapter in American industrial rivalry — the final resting places of two giants of paint: Francis Harrington Glidden and Henry Sherwin.

Glidden founded his namesake company in Cleveland in 1875, beginning with varnishes for furniture, pianos, carriages, and wagons. By 1908, he had grown his operation into a 17-acre varnish factory, said to be the largest in the world at the time.

Just down the street, Henry Sherwin was building his own empire. The son of a man born in Omemee, Ontario, Sherwin co-founded what would become Sherwin-Williams — Glidden’s fiercest rival for decades.

Though both men are now buried within the same cemetery, their legacies continue to compete. Today, Sherwin-Williams remains headquartered in Cleveland, while Glidden, now a brand under PPG Industries, is based in Pittsburgh.

Francis Glidden died in Cleveland on September 25, 1922. He was 90.

Henry Sherwin died on June 26, 1916, in Willoughby, Ohio a suburb of Cleveland. He was 73.

1832-1922 (Francis)
1842-1916 (Henry)