Walter King Bailey Papers, 1914-1996 | Oberlin College Archives

Walter King Bailey, business and philanthropic leader, was born in East Cleveland, Ohio on March 23, 1897. His father, Lewis A. Bailey, who had moved from Rochester to Cleveland to start a clothing business near Public Square, died before his son was three. His mother, Anna L. Perry [Bailey], was enrolled in the Preparatory Department at Oberlin College (1883-85).  After graduating from Shaw High School, Bailey attended Oberlin College (A.B. 1919) where he played varsity football and at first planned to become a physical education teacher, but later became an economics major in preparation for entering the business world.

Upon graduation, he was attracted by the apprentice program at Warner & Swasey, which manufactured turret lathes and Gradall construction equipment.  However, during the post war recession, he was forced to work as a book salesman, and, for a short time, coached and taught physical education at Oberlin College.  Returning to Warner & Swasey as a salesman and then sales manager at a crucial time in the firm’s history, Bailey convinced General Electric to buy twelve new lathes, the proverbial “shot in the arm” for the company.

In 1942, he was named a director of the company, guiding it through capacity production during  the war years while preparing to produce new products in peacetime. “We had them ready when the time came.”  In 1955,  he was named president and CEO; in 1962 he became chairman and CEO, retiring in 1967 but remaining as a director until 1977.  The company was sold to the Bendix Corporation in 1980.

Mr. Bailey also served on the boards of the Addressograph-Multigraph Corporation, Clark Controller, Elwell Parker Electric Company, Rooter Tool Company, Cooper Industries,  the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

Described as “a model of what an executive should be” when the Cleveland Plain Dealer named him “Businessman of the Year” in 1966, Walter K. Bailey was equally as well-known  as a friend to the needy and a champion for a better Cleveland.  He twice chaired the Cleveland United Appeal, served as president of the Cleveland Neighborhood Settlement Association, headed the Nursing Home Committee of the Cleveland Welfare Federation, led the Welfare Federation’s study of the needs of emotionally disturbed children, was president of the Regional Hospital Planning Board of Northeastern Ohio, served as trustee of the Musical Arts Association, and chaired the Half Century Fundraising Committee for Blossom Center.  The citation accompanying his honorary doctorate from Cleveland State University read in part: “Your toughness of mind and your generosity of spirit make you an effective crusader for a better Cleveland.”

Although an astute businessman, Walter K. Bailey was also a champion for liberal arts education and was outspoken in his opposition toward specialization brought on by changes in technology.  He made strenuous efforts to preserve the liberal arts curriculum at Oberlin College while serving his alma mater as a trustee for 26 years, followed by ten more as a trustee emeritus.  At various times, he chaired the Oberlin Alumni Fund, the Development Committee, and the Building and Planning Committee.  The four major capital campaigns he chaired during the 1950s to the 1970s raised $30 million for campus facilities including Mudd Learning Center, the Conservatory of Music buildings, Kettering Hall of Science, King Memorial Building, and Philips Physical Education Center. In 1966 Oberlin College awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Medal for 40 years of continued service and in 1984, an honorary Doctor of Humanities  degree.  His efforts and successes remain recognized by Bailey House, a north campus residence facility named in his honor.  In recognition of their father’s devotion to Oberlin College his sons endowed the Walter K. Bailey Scholarship.

Walter K. Bailey was married twice.  In 1925, he married Marion Clark (1919-1921) whom he had met while they were students at Oberlin College.  They had four sons: Robert L.  (1946-1948; d. 1998), Richard C. (A.B. 1951), David B. (Allegheny College) and Douglas L. (Colgate University).  Marion Bailey died in 1977.  In 1985, he married Sarah (Sally) Wilson Campbell McEwen who died in 1995.  They had no children.  Two of Walter Bailey’s brothers, Herbert P. (A.B. 1913, d. 1961) and Perry W. (A.B. 1921, d.1952), also graduated from Oberlin. Walter K. Bailey died on January 14, 1996 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Sources Consulted

Bailey David and Douglas. “Walter K. Bailey.”  Typescript memo to the Oberlin Alumni Magazine, received February 5, 1966.

Huth, John F., Jr. “Walter K. Bailey is PD Businessman of the Year.” The Plain Dealer, January 3, 1966, n.p.

“The Legacy of Giving Back Comes Around Again.” The New Oberlin Century.  March, 2002, Vol 5., No. 2, pp. 1-3.

Perry, Richard.  Obituaries: “Walter K. Bailey, Chaired Warner & Swasey Co.” The Plain Dealer, January 19, 1996, 9-B.