ARTER & HADDEN - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

ARTER & HADDEN, Cleveland's oldest legal partnership, traces its origins to the 1843 partnership of Willey & Cary. Opening an office in the Hancock Block (Superior and W. 3rd St.), George Willey started his law practice shortly after his admission to the Ohio Bar in 1842. He was joined the following year by another recent admittant to the bar, John Cary. After 3 years Willey and Cary moved to the Plain Dealer Bldg. at 53 Superior St. The firm remained there until 1851, when it moved to the WEDDELL HOUSE. In 1870 the firm changed its name to Willey, Cary & Terrell and moved its offices to 81 Public Square. When Cary left in 1877, the firm became known as Willey, Terrell & Sherman, followed by Willey, Sherman & Hoyt, and then, with Willey's departure, Sherman, Hoyt & Dustin. The firm had moved to the WESTERN RESERVE BUILDING by 1893 and, after Sherman left, did business as HOYT, DUSTIN, & KELLEY from 1893-1908. From 1908-19 it was known as Hoyt, Dustin, Kelley, McKeehan & Andrews. Between 1918-30, the firm practiced out of the Guardian Bldg. In 1920 the firm added several new partners and became known as Austin, McKeehan, Merrick, Arter & Stewart. In 1930 it moved to the Terminal Tower, at the CLEVELAND UNION TERMINAL, where it remained until moving to its present (1995) location in the Huntington Bldg. (formerly the Union Commerce Bldg.) in 1955. In 1951 the firm merged with the law firm of Andrews, Hadden & Putnam and became known as Arter, Hadden, Wykoff & Van Duzer. After merging with the firm of Schlesinger, Galvin, Kohn & Landefeld in 1969, the firm adopted its present name of Arter & Hadden. Since 1969 the firm has grown to its current size, employing over 300 attorneys. Through a series of mergers that began in the 1970s, Arter & Hadden began its national expansion: 1977, Columbus, OH; 1984, Washington, DC; 1986, Dallas, TX; 1990, Los Angeles; 1992, additional Texas merger and opening of Irvine, CA, office; 1995, two additional mergers expanded existing California offices and created an office in San Francisco.

Wykoff, L. C. Scrapbook of a Century, 1843-1943 (1945).

O'Hara, Janet. Arter & Hadden 150th Anniversary, 1843-1993 (1993).

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