Ethan Stone
Ethan Stone (1767–1852) was an American lawyer, banker, politician, and philanthropist from Cincinnati, Ohio. A major property investor, he became influential in state politics, but his fortunes waxed and waned with the local property market. His considerable wealth at the time of his death produced the first elections open to local women as part of the longest trust case in state history. Career Stone originally lived in Massachusetts. In 1802, he arrived in Cincinnati by covered wagon and established a legal practice. He made extensive property investments, eventually becoming a millionaire. He served as a trustee on the Cincinnati Select Council in 1805 and as clerk of council in 1810. From 1805 to 1806, he represented Hamilton County in the Ohio House of Representatives as a member of the Federalist Party. He also served as a justice of the peace. In 1810, Stone used his political clout to convince the Ohio General Assembly to lease to him Section 29 of Cincinnati Township, which he would then sublet. In 1814, the Bank of Cincinnati was organized with Stone as president. From 1818 to 1820, he and the bank suffered heavy losses as the property market crashed. The lease was amended in