Marvin Kent (September 21, 1816 – December 10, 1908) was a railroad president, politician, and businessman from

Portage County, Ohio Portage County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,791. Located in Northeast Ohio, Portage County is part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Cleveland–Akr ...

, United States, best known as the namesake of the city of

Kent, Ohio Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 28,215 at the 2020 Census. The city is counted as pa ...

, which was previously known as Franklin Mills.

Biography

Marvin Kent was born in

Ravenna, Ohio Ravenna is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Akron. It was formed from portions of Ravenna Township in the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 11,323 in the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Por ...

, and was heavily involved in the business dealings of his father Zenas Kent from a very young age. During the 1860s he was instrumental in establishing the

Atlantic and Great Western Railroad The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad began as three separate railroads: the Erie and New York City Railroad based in Jamestown, New York; the Meadville Railroad based in Meadville, Pennsylvania (renamed A&GW in April 1858); and the Franklin an ...

and having the railroad shops located in the village of Franklin Mills. The village was named after him shortly thereafter in 1864. Kent also served as a bank president and as an Ohio state senator from the Republican party. He died in

, in 1908.

Relatives

Kent's father Zenas had several business ventures during the 1830s-1850s in Franklin Mills and briefly operated a

tannery Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

with

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

. He also had considerable land holdings and built a four-story commercial block in what is now downtown Kent in 1837 that was said to have been the tallest building in Ohio at the time. He eventually would relocate to Franklin Mills in 1851. Marvin Kent had two sons: Henry Lewis Kent and William Stewart Kent. Henry was the father of two daughters and the grandfather of Marvin

Kent Curtis Marvin Kent Curtis (October 10, 1890 – December 24, 1957) was an American aviator, novelist, illustrator, yachtsman, and teacher. Curtis served in World War I as an aviator with the Royal Air Force, was shot down, reported dead, and held priso ...

. William Kent played a key role in the establishment of

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in As ...

in 1910 by donating the land for the original campus.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Marvin 1816 births 1908 deaths 19th-century American railroad executives American people of Dutch descent Ohio state senators People from Kent, Ohio History of Kent, Ohio 19th-century American politicians