Ellsworth Milton (E. M.) Statler (October 26, 1863 – April 16, 1928) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hotel businessman, founder of the

Statler Hotels The Statler Hotel company was one of the United States' early chains of hotels catering to traveling businessmen and tourists. It was founded by Ellsworth Milton (E. M.) Statler in Buffalo, New York. Early ventures In 1901, Buffalo hosted the ...

chain, born in

Somerset County, Pennsylvania Somerset County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania German: ''Somerset Kaundi'') is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the po ...

Biography

Statler built his first permanent hotel in 1907, in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

(it being the first major hotel to have a private bath or shower and running water in every room). Future

constructed by E. M. Statler were located in Cleveland (1912), Detroit (1915), St. Louis (1917), New York (the

Hotel Pennsylvania The Hotel Pennsylvania was a historic hotel at 401 Seventh Avenue (15 Penn Plaza) in Manhattan, across the street from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden in New York City. Opened in 1919, it was once the largest hotel in the world. ...

, built by the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

and leased to Statler and Franklin J. Matchette in 1919; later bought by the Hotels Statler Company in 1948), a new hotel in Buffalo (1923; the previous Hotel Statler in Buffalo was renamed the Hotel Buffalo and sold later in the 1920s), and his last hotel, the

Boston Park Plaza The Boston Park Plaza is a historic hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, opened on March 10, 1927. It was built by hotelier E.M. Statler as part of his Statler Hotels chain. A prototype of the grand American hotel, it was called a "c ...

built in Boston (1927). The Hotels Statler Company built several other hotels after Statler's death in 1928. The Statler Hotel chain was sold to

Hilton Hotels Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...

in 1954. Upon his death, the Statler Foundation was established in his will, becoming benefactors of what is now the

Cornell University School of Hotel Administration The Nolan School of Hotel Administration (SHA, more commonly known as the Hotel School) at Cornell University is a specialized business school in the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University, a private Ivy League university located in ...

in Ithaca, New York. The Statler Foundation, located in Buffalo, New York, continues to contribute to many worthwhile hospitality-related causes. On March 20, 1951, the radio show, Cavalcade of America sponsored by DuPont, featured the life story of Ellsworth Statler in a light 30 minute drama. In 1984, E. M. Statler (as he preferred to be called) was inducted into the Wheeling,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor in 1997 along with

Curt Carlson Curtis Leroy Carlson (July 9, 1914 – February 19, 1999) was an American businessman and founder of Carlson and Radisson Hotel Group. Early life and education Carlson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Charles and Leatha Carlson. C ...

Charles Forte, Baron Forte Charles Carmine Forte, Baron Forte (26 November 1908 – 28 February 2007) was an Italian-born Scottish hotelier who founded the leisure and hotels conglomerate that ultimately became the Forte Group. Early life Charles Forte was born as Car ...

, and

Ray Kroc Raymond Albert Kroc (October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984) was an American businessman. He purchased the fast food company McDonald's in 1961 and was its CEO from 1967 to 1973. Kroc is credited with the global expansion of McDonald's, turnin ...

Personal life

Ellsworth Statler was the third of the children of Rev. William J. Statler and Mary A. McKinney (Govinda R., Charles O., Ellsworth M., Elizabeth, Alabama A., Lillian, Osceola A., and William J.). E.M. married first Mary Idesta Manderbach (1866 – 28 October 1925) and together they raised four adopted children. Milton Howland Statler (16 September 1906 – 7 December 1933), Marian Francis Statler (3 July 1907 – 7 August 1927), Ellsw Morgan Statler (d. 1987), and Elva Idesta Statler (7 June 1912 – 27 February 1935). E.M. had only one grandchild, Milton's daughter Joan M. Statler (1931–2005). E.M. married Alice M. Seidler (d. 1969) on 30 April 1927.

Death

E.M. Statler died of double pneumonia at 6:05 o'clock in the morning April 16, 1928 at the Hotel Pennsylvania, where he lived. He was 64 years old.

Notes

* Jarman, Rufus (1952) ''A Bed for the Night'' * Miller, Floyd (1969) ''Statler''

References

External links