Dohrman J. Sinclair
Dohrman J. Sinclair, one of the leading citizens of Steubenville, O., who is cashier of the Union Deposit Bank and is identified with other institutions and enterprises of importance in this section, was born at Erie, Pa., in 1860, and is a son of Thomas Sinclair. Coming to Steubenville when five years old, he was educated in the schools of this city. In 1873 he entered the Union Deposit Bank, in a subordinate capacity, and has been continuously connected with this large financial institution ever since. He has been a most active and public spirited citizen, and it is largely to his untiring efforts that much of the material prosperity of Steubenville and the vicinity is due. In advancing the interests of the community he has been unsparing of his time, labor and means. Never an office seeker, he has been a force in local politics which has always been exerted for the public good. As president of the city council he instituted important reforms in municipal management, and as a member of the board of water works trustees he inaugurated and carried out the present magnificent water system, conceded to be the best in the Ohio Valley. Practically he was the Board of Trade for a number of years, and it was chiefly due to his untiring efforts that the enlarged La Belle Iron Works were located here, also the Pope Tin Plate Works, and the Follansbee and Wierton Works, across the river, which, with the Jefferson Glass Works, have built up two thriving manufacturing suburbs with access to the city by the fine suspension bridge, also erected through his efforts. The electric line to Follansbee, with another projected to Wierton, is also among the fruits of his efforts, as are the extension to Toronto and short line to Mingo, to say nothing of the magnificent brick boulevards leading from the city north and south on both sides of the river. He has been one of the most active members of the Ohio River Improvement Commission, which is now making steady progress towards the canalization of the river, and rendered material aid in the construction of the Wabash Railroad system through Jefferson County, including the projected extension up the river northward from Steubenville. In most of the enterprises we have mentioned he is a member of the board of directors, where his work and counsel are always sought. In fact, the mere enumeration of his numerous enterprises, of which the above are only a portion. would fill a volume.
In 1884 Mr. Sinclair was married to Miss Mary Donaldson, a daughter of W. B. Donaldson, and they have five children: Marie, who is the wife of Harry F. Grant, of Franklin, Pa.; Wilma, who is the wife of G. B. La Van, of Steubenville; Frank D., who is associated with his father; Dohrman J., Jr., and Catherine. Mr. Sinclair is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the order of Knights of Pythias, and the board of trustees of the Union Cemetery Association.
From 20th Century History of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio, by Joseph B. Doyle. Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, 1910