Edward Porter Williams was a 19 year old student at Western Reserve College in 1862 when he joined Co. B of the 85th O.V.I. along with other students and faculty from the college. Williams served at Camp Chase, guarding confederate prisoners or war. 
During their service, 10 members of the 85th would die of disease and Williams, sick with typhoid fever, would have to be carried on a cot after being mustered out in Sept. 1862. He returned to his studies and earned both a bachelor’s degree and a masters from Western Reserve.
In 1870, Williams invested $15,000 to become partners with Henry Sherwin to form Sherwin-Williams Company. The company, headquartered in Cleveland, grew to be a leading producer of paint and coating products and is today one of the largest companies in the Northeast Ohio region.
For his service, Edward P. Williams is listed on tablet 12 of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. He is buried at Lake View Cemetery.
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