Henry William Stecher established a small business as a pharmacist in Cleveland forty years ago. For many years he was an active member of Stecher Brothers, druggists, but during the past quarter of a century has been best known as a banker and a live and public spirited leader in many of Cleveland's community movements, and a man who has done much good in many ways, giving his support to many causes to the betterment of the city.

Mr. Stecher was born at Huntington, Indiana, July 29, 1856, son of Antone and Margaret Stecher. His father was a native of West Phalia, and his mother of Lower Bavaria, Germany. They came to America when young people, were married at Fort Wayne, Indiana, and subsequently removed to Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The father died in 1893 and the mother in 1921.

Henry W. Stecher was reared at Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He attended the schools of that city and in 1877 entered the University of Michigan, taking the pharmacy and chemistry courses, graduating in 1878, and during the following year remained as an assistant instructor of chemistry in the university. Following that he was a pharmacist at Minneapolis for four years.

From his parents he inherited habits of thrift, enterprise and an ambition for individual achievement, and as soon as possible he left employment with others to start a business of his own. Thus in 1882 he reached Cleveland and with his experience and modest capital established a pharmacy at 1066 Pearl Street, now West Twenty-fifth Street at the corner of Wade Avenue. He continued under his own name and management successfully for ten years. His brother Frederick, also a pharmacist, joined him in 1892, thus originating the firm of Stecher Brothers.

Mr. Stecher has been interested in banking since 1890. In that year he helped organize and incorporate the Pearl Street Savings and Trust Company. He was chosen as a director and member of the finance committee at the first meeting of the stockholders and was later elected secretary-treasurer of the company. Mr. Stecher has proved himself abundantly qualified in many ways with the abilities necessary for successful banking. His work as secretary-treasurer was responsible in a large measure for the growth and development of the bank in its early years. Under his executive management as president the progress of the institution has been continued in keeping with the growth of the city, and it is now one of Cleveland's solid financial institutions.

Outside of this bank of which he is president, Mr. Stecher is president of the National Woolen Company, a director of the National City Bank, in the American Multigraph Company, in the Pompeian Company, in the Theurer-Norton Provision Company and the Lake Erie Provision Company.

Mr. Stecher has expressed his public spirit by whole-hearted cooperation in many movements connected with the civic welfare. He is now a resident of Lakewood. Mr. Stecher is a member of the Cleveland, the Ohio and American Bankers associations, the Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Industry, is a vestryman in All Saints Episcopal Church of Cleveland and a member of the Ellsworth Lodge and Hillman Chapter Free and Accepted Masons. Some of his social activities are represented in his membership in the Flifton, Westwood Country, Athletic, Castalia Trout and Rockwell Springs Trout clubs.

Mr. Stecher married Miss Stella Dean, daughter of Aaron Dean of Rocky River, Cuyahoga County. She died in 1894, leaving one son, Henry Dean Stecher, now assistant manager of the National Woolen Company. Henry Dean Stecher was a captain of ordinance during the World war and was assigned to duty in the reorganization of the Cuban Coast defense. In 1900 Mr. Stecher married Margaret Dixon, of New Philadelphia, Ohio. By this marriage there are two daughters, Helen Louise and Martha Dixon.

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