The Luntz Family came to prominence in Canton, Ohio, through the scrap metal industry. Samuel and Rebecca (Wolf) Luntz were Polish Jewish immigrants. Samuel founded the Canton Iron and Metal Company in 1898. Two of his sons, Darwin and Abe, founded their own scrap metal firm in 1916, The Luntz Iron and Steel Company, due to the growing need for scrap with the onset of World War I. Both Darwin and Abe were very involved in civic and community activities.
Abe Luntz married Fanny Teplansky on October 10, 1916 in Canton, Ohio. They had five children. The family moved to Cleveland in 1939 for business purposes as well as for more varied religious, musical, and educational opportunities. The majority of the photographs included here pertain to Abe M. Luntz, his wife Fanny (Teplansky), their children, Robert, Richard, Joan, William, and Theodore, and their ancestors, both Luntz and Teplansky.
Abe M. Luntz (1893-1981) held several positions in the Luntz Iron and Steel Company (Canton, Ohio), before becoming chief executive officer. He also served as president of The Temple (Tifereth Israel, Cleveland, Ohio) from 1950 1960, and donated his time and money to a wide variety of civic, cultural, medical, religious, and benevolent groups in Canton and Cleveland.
Abe M. Luntz was born in Akron, Ohio, of Polish Jewish immigrant parents. Raised in Canton, Ohio, he joined his father's scrap metal business after graduating from high school. Over the years the business expanded into a multi state corporation. In 1916 he married Fanny Teplansky (1895 1987) and in 1940 the Luntzes moved to Cleveland, Ohio.
Abe M. Luntz (1893-1981) was born in Akron, Ohio, on March 6, 1893 of Polish Jewish immigrant parents, Samuel and Rebecca Wolf Luntz. He and his family moved to Canton, Ohio, when he was around 6 years old. He attended public schools in Canton, was very active in sports, and graduated from Canton's Central High School in 1913. After graduation, he went to work for his father's company, the Canton Iron and Metal Company. With his brother Darwin, he founded the Luntz Iron and Steel Company in 1916 due to the growing need for scrap with the onset of World War I. He held several positions in the Luntz Iron and Steel Company before becoming president in 1951. The company became one of the United States' premiere scrap and steel brokerage firms and expanded into Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Kentucky. Abe Luntz married Fanny Teplansky on October 10, 1916. They had five children, Robert, Richard, William, Theodore, and Joan. The family moved to Cleveland in 1939 for business purposes as well as for more varied religious, musical, and educational opportunities. All of his sons joined in the family business. Luntz was also known for his benevolence to a wide variety of civic, cultural, medical, and religious groups and causes both in Canton and Cleveland. He was president of The Temple in University Circle from 1950-1960. He was active with the YMCA, the Boy Scouts, the Montefiore Home, the Singing Angels, and the Jewish Welfare Fund, among others. He was also a board member of many organizations including Mount Sinai Hospital, the Community Chest, United Appeal, Jewish Community Federation, and the Art Museum. He was especially involved with the National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ), a human rights organization promoting peace, tolerance, and social justice (now known as the National Conference for Community and Justice). He held both local and national offices and won its highest award, the National Human Relations Award, in 1957. He died on February 24, 1981.
Theodore M. Luntz was born on June 4, 1926 in Canton, Ohio, to Abe M. and Fanny Luntz, a prominent Jewish couple in the Canton community. He was one of five children. He attended University School and Yale University. He graduated from Yale in 1948. He served in the army during the Korean Conflict from 1950-1952. He married Idarose Schock on August 23, 1953. They had four children, Wanda Jean, Pamela, Brian, and Jill.
Luntz began his career at Copperweld Steel in Warren, Ohio. After one year he joined his family's business, the Luntz Corporation, one of the United States' premiere scrap and steel brokerage firms. He rose through different positions including treasurer, executive vice president, and eventually became president in 1984. He went on to become chief executive officer and chairman of Luntz Corporation. He also served as president, treasurer, and director of Marquette Steel Company (a division of Luntz) and as vice president of 62 Land Inc. Ted, like his father Abe, was very active in the community, serving on the boards of many of the same organizations as his father. Some of these organizations include the Schnurmann House, Cathedral Latin School, Hawken School, National Conference of Christians and Jews, Montefiore Home, Boy Scouts, The Temple, and the Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel. He became a member of the board of trustees of Baldwin-Wallace College in 1979. He and his wife Idarose established both a scholarship fund and the Ted and Idarose Luntz Musical Theatre Fund, an endowment, for the benefit of Baldwin- Wallace students and the Musical Theatre Program. This continued the Luntz Family association with Baldwin Wallace started by Ted's father, Abe, who received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Baldwin Wallace in 1974 of which the family is very proud.
The Abe M. Luntz Family Photographs, ca. 1870-1995 and undated, consist of 297 black and white/sepia photographs, 57 color photographs, and one color transparency.
This collection is of value to researchers studying Luntz and Teplansky family genealogy. Anyone interested in Abe Luntz's business, civic, and philanthropic activities will also find this collection valuable. Especially those interested in the National Conference of Christians and Jews and Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver will find this collection of note.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by image type (portraits, subjects, views), then alphabetically by subject, and then chronologically.
The researcher should also consult MS 4548 Abe M. Luntz Papers; MS 5082 Abe M. Luntz Papers, Series II; and MS 5084 Theodore M. Luntz Papers.
Processed by Hannah Kemp-Severence in 2011.
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[Container ___, Folder ___ ] PG 559 Abe M. Luntz Family Photographs, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gifts of Abe M. Luntz in 1978; William Luntz in 1989; and Idarose Luntz in 2011.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.