Tom L. Johnson Passes – April 10, 1911

Who was the most important person in Lorain’s past, the person who had the biggest influence on the city’s growth and prosperity?

The strongest case could be made for Tom L. Johnson – the man who brought the steel mill to Lorain – who passed away today, 108 years ago, on April 10, 1911.

As the front page article on the April 11, 1911 Lorain Daily News (shown above) notes, “With the death of Tom L. Johnson passes the man who more than any other was responsible for Lorain’s remarkable growth and prosperity. All that Lorain is today she owes to Johnson. Johnson discovered Lorain and it was his operations here that formed the nucleus of the great city and manufacturing center the city is today.

“The important part that Johnson played in the city’s history is well known to all of the older residents of Lorain. It was Tom Johnson as head of the Johnson company who brought the steel mills here in 1894 and erected the gigantic plant which became the foundation of Greater Lorain. The steel mills built by Johnson became the industrial heart of the city and from the industry sprung the many arteries of business and thrift that caused the city to discard her swaddling clothes and assume a position among the great cities of the state.

"Coming hand in hand with the steel plant was the organization of the Sheffield Land and Improvement Co., a million dollar corporation headed by Johnson that has built practically all of what is known as South Lorain.

“But it was not alone through the land company and the steel mills that Johnson became linked with the city’s history. It was in Lorain that Johnson, known as the father of three-cent railway fare in America, first experimented with three cent fare and demonstrated to his own satisfaction that three cent fare was more than a dream and that it was a practical possibility. The same year that the steel mills located here Johnson bought the old Lorain street railroad, then a horse car system with a track extending from what is now the loop to the hospital. Johnson at once began extending the line to Elyria and inaugurating three cent fare made the road one of the most successful electric lines operated in the state.

“Johnson was a firm believer in three cent fare and for many years its amounting to many thousands of dollars as the result of his three cent fare hobby Johnson notwithstanding the low fare gave the people an excellent service. Not until some years after the road had been sold to the Lake Shore Electric was the fare boosted to five cents.”

On April 12, 1911, an article on the front page of the Lorain Daily News noted that a memorial service was going to be held, honoring the man who did so much for Lorain. “Lorain is planning to honor the memory of Tom L. Johnson, who died Monday night. The board of commerce will head the movement, and a meeting has been called for tomorrow night at which all residents of the city and county are invited to attend.

“Johnson, the father of the yellow line, steel mills, Sheffield Land Company and other industries that really made the city what it is today, is mourned by all Lorain, both young and old alike. His death has been the talk of the entire city.

“Pioneers of the steel mills well remember Johnson as do many of the older residents of the city. Men who were employed under the Johnson rule at the steel plant have a warm feeling for the man and these employees have already sent a floral tribute to the family. The employes of the Lake Shore Electric will also honor his memory and send flowers."

Lorain owes a debt of gratitude to Johnson to this day. It is a tribute to Johnson that the steel mill remains the last major industry in the city.

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Here's the continuation of the front page story shown above.