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JANUARY 1977

CLEVELAND'S GREATEST PHILANTHROPIST

GAY LEONARD HANNA JR.

Compiled From Edward Whelan's article, "Cleveland's Mightiest Family" which appeared in the December Cleveland Magazine.

Leonard Hanna Jr. is perhaps one of the most significant historical Cleveland gay figures known. Born in 1889, he graduated from Yale University in 1913 and joined his father's enterprise, The Hanna Mining Co. wherein he inherited a partnership valued at $1.3 million when his father died in 1919.

Independently wealthy and single, with no heirs, Leonard saw little reason to hold a steady job. His passion for the arts and theatre lead to his primarily mixing with wellknown artists, writers, entertainers, actors, and athletes. He found the more conventional lifestyles of his relatives in Cleveland's country club mileu boring and pretentious. It is never mentioned in any of his profiles, but it was no secret within his elite circles that he was a homosexual and had had a long standing relationship with the late Windsor French, a Cleveland Press columnist.

Leonard Hanna's holdings (which included 29,550 IBM shares, valued at over $8.5 million) were structured in various legal ways, including foundations and trusts. Since he had never married (a heterosexual woman, that is), his intention was to leave the bulk of his investments to institutions which served the civic interest. Foremost on his list was the Cleveland Museum of Art.

So in 1941 he incorporated the Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund with $6 million. By the time it was liquidated a few years before his death, the fund had distributed more than $50 million in stock to numerous institutions and charities. In addition, of his estate valued at $30 million, he channeled $23 million to the Art Museum for the purchases of "great works of arts" and for the maintenance operation of the museum itself. Another $1.5 million was given in original paintings which were from Hanna's New York apartment (while still a young man, Leonard left Cleveland and took up residence in New York. He would, however, summer in Cleveland at his 300 acre estate, Hilo Farms, in Kirtland Hills). These paintings included originals by van Gogh, Cezanne, Picasso, Rencir, Monet, Degas, and others.

Leonard Chauve

contributions, but his gifts nightly at Gruber's Restaurant assured that its greatness would on the East Side, causing them be carried on. Lee adds that to be pegged, "The Jolly Set." Leonard insisted no wing. According to the former gallery, or building at the owner of the restaurant, Max museum be named in his honor:Gruber, Leonard was quietly "He was an extremely modest generous. A parking lot attenman." dant whose wife had just had a serious operation found himself the recipient of several thousand dollars to cover his expenses when Leonard discovered his plight. Leonard insisted the attendant never whisper a word about the gift.

While Leonard was, no doubt, the museum's most generous benefactor ever, other in stitutions benefited from his philanthropy. He donated over $20 million to University Hospitals and the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. His A muscle disease crippled fund also made possible the Leonard Hanna Jr. in the Fifties construction of the Hanna and forced him into a Foundations on the Mall wheelchair. When he died in downtown (a final touch of 1957, it marked the end of an era irony, considering that after in the Hanna Family. With hours, the fountains are Leonard's death came the comencircled by gay cruisers). plete termination of the name Leonard's generosity exten-with the Hanna Mining Co. ded to friends and associates, It is interesting to speculate including lover Windsor French, for whom trusts were established. When in Cleveland, he hosted gracious dinner parties at the Hilo Farm and because of his love of baseball, members of the Cleveland Indians were often seen at his dinner table. Among his Cleveland Sherman Lee, director of the friends in the late forties were Cleveland Art Museum, obserWhitey Lewis, sports columnist ves. "The Art Museum certainly of the Press and Bill Veeck, the had a great reputation before Indians -owner. In summer, Sephard kanga made his large nu kanna and friends would gather

whether Clevelanders would to this day experience the benefits of Leonard's philanthrophy had he been a heterosexual. No doubt, had Leonard married, his fortune would have been left to his offspring or his wife. Instead, the vast millions went to the people of Cleveland through the vehicles of the Art Museum, University Hospitals, downtown, etc. All of these treasures, thanks-to-a-homosexual! ...