William G. Mather

Now a floating museum, the Steamship William G. Mather was once the flagship of the Cleveland-Cliffs Company. According to the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CLEVELAND HISTORY, the Mather built in 1925 in River Rouge, MI, by the Great Lakes Engineering Works. You can tour this historic ship, which is visible from the Great Lakes Science Center located adjacent to Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Steamship William G. Mather was named for industrialist William Gwinn Mather. William G. Mather began as a clerk with the Cleveland Mining Co., and he worked his way up to the vice-presidency in 1885. In 1890, William G. Mather followed his father as president of the company. In 1891 the Cleveland Mining Co. merged with the Iron Cliffs Co. to form the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. Later the company was known as Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. William G. Mather died on April 5, 1951, and he was buried in Cleveland's Lake View Cemetery.