In 1899, Hugh O’Neill, an Irish horseman who had come to Cleveland as a teenager, started a cartage firm using horse-drawn wagons. In 1912, he began replacing the wagons with trucks, with his three sons working for him after school hours. The family business would eventually grow into the worldwide Leaseway Transportation Corporation, with the youngest of the three brothers, William (1906–1983), becoming its first president and developing the concept of leasing vehicles to service-specific industries such as retail, automotive and newspaper delivery. A graduate of St. Ignatius High School and the University of Notre Dame, Bill O’Neill inherited his father’s love of horses, keeping a stable of polo ponies and show jumpers. He was also a partner in the New York Yankees. In 1975, he retired as Leaseway’s chief executive officer but continued as a director. He was a trustee of St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Gilmour Academy, Cleveland Safety Council and Trinity College in Washington, D.C. Throughout his life, O’Neill was noted for his philanthropy. A few years after his death, his wife, Dorothy, and their eldest son, William Jr., established the William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation, a private family foundation that partners with other nonprofits to improve the quality of life for families in communities where the O’Neill family lives.