Dively, George S., 1902-

Prominent Cleveland businessman and civic leader, who led the Harris Corporation and founded the Geo. S. Dively Foundation.

George Samuel Dively (1902-1988) was a prominent business and civic leader in Cleveland, Ohio. He led the Harris Corporation from 1947 to 1972 through a strategy of planned growth and innovation, from a small manufacturer of printing presses to a multinational producer of high-technology communications and information processing equipment.

He was born in Claysburg, Pennsylvania, to Michael A. Dively and Martha A. Dodson Dively. He attended Lock Haven State College and earned a B.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and an M.B.A. at Harvard. He received honorary degrees from Case Western Reserve University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Florida Institute of Technology. In 1933 he married Harriet G. Seeds (d. 1968), and they had one son, Michael (b. 1939), an attorney and former Michigan state legislator. Mr. Dively married Juliette Gaudin in 1969, and had three stepsons, Paul, John, and Perry Howland.

George Dively worked at North American Refractories, in investment banking, and at Republic Steel Corporation during the Great Depression. He joined Harris-Seybold-Potter Company of Cleveland, a predecessor to Harris Corp., in 1937. He became a director in 1941, was named vice president and general manager in 1944, and in 1947, president. He served as president and chairman of the board from 1954-1961, when he resigned the presidency, continuing to serve as board chairman until his retirement in 1972. Under his leadership the company implemented in a series of five-year plans, and its annual sales increased from $10 million to over $2 billion. He orchestrated a series of acquisitions, including the 1967 merger with Radiation Inc. and subsequent relocation of the company's headquarters to Florida, where Harris Corp. became that state's largest industrial employer.

His 1971 book The Power of Professional Management was one of several influential publications and addresses on business and management issues which he produced. He was a fellow of the American Management Association, a director of Warner & Swasey Co. and of Central National Bank. He was co-founder of the Cleveland One Percent Plan to encourage corporate support for higher education. A former vice chairman of the Case Western Reserve University Board of Trustees, he endowed a professorship in electrical engineering at the school. He participated in the leadership of Cleveland NOW, Cleveland Tomorrow, and other urban renewal and improvement efforts. A conference center in the College of Urban Affairs building at Cleveland State University, where he helped establish a scholarship fund, is named for George and Juliette Dively. He endowed the Geo. S. Dively Foundation in 1956 to assist a variety of charitable and educational enterprises.

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George Samuel Dively (1902 1988) was a prominent business and civic leader in Cleveland. He led the Harris Corporation from 1947 to 1972 through a strategy of planned growth and innovation, from a small manufacturer of printing presses to a multinational producer of high technology communications and information processing equipment.

He was born in Claysburg, Pennsylvania, to Michael A. and Martha A. (Dodson). He attended Lock Haven State College, earned a B.S. in electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and an M.B.A. at Harvard. He received honorary degrees from Case Western Reserve University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Florida Institute of Technology. In 1933 he married Harriet G. Seeds (d. 1968), and they had one son, Michael (b. 1939), an attorney and former Michigan state legislator. Mr. Dively married Juliette Gaudin in 1969, and had three stepsons, Paul, John, and Perry Howland.

He worked at North American Refractories, in investment banking, and at Republic Steel Corporation during the Great Depression. He joined Harris Seybold Potter Company of Cleveland, a predecessor to Harris Corporation, in 1937. He became a director in 1941, was named vice president and general manager in 1944, and in 1947, president. He served as president and chairman of the board from 1954 1961, when he resigned the presidency, continuing to serve as board chairman until his retirement in 1972. Under his leadership the company implemented in a series of five year plans, and its annual sales increased from $10 million to over $2 billion. He orchestrated a series of acquisitions, including the 1967 merger with Radiation Inc. and subsequent relocation of the company's headquarters to Florida, where Harris Corp. became that state's largest industrial employer. His 1971 book The Power of Professional Management was one of several influential publications and addresses on business and management issues which he produced. He was a fellow of the American Management Association, a director of Warner & Swasey Co. and of Central National Bank. He was co founder of the Cleveland One Percent Plan to encourage corporate support for higher education. A former vice chairman of the Case Western Reserve University Board of Trustees, he endowed a professorship in electrical engineering at the school. He participated in the leadership of Cleveland NOW, Cleveland Tomorrow, and other urban renewal and improvement efforts. A conference center in the College of Urban Affairs building at Cleveland State University, where he helped establish a scholarship fund, is named for George and Juliette Dively. He endowed the Geo. S. Dively Foundation in 1956 to assist a variety of charitable and educational enterprises.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for George S. Dively

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click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Harris Corp.