Charles Mears, a Massachusetts native, went into the lumber business in Michigan as a young man and was trading lumber in Chicago as early as 1838. By 1850, when his brother Nathan Mears became part of C. Mears & Co., the business was based in Chicago. In 1859, Charles Mears departed to concentrate on his lumber interests in Michigan; the old company became Mears & Bates, which was led by Nathan Mears and Eli Bates. Charles H. Mears, a son of Nathan, joined Mears, Bates & Co. in 1881. By the early 1890s, when the name of the enterprise had become Charles H. Mears & Co., it handled up to 60 million feet of lumber per year.

This entry is part of the Encyclopedia's Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000) that was prepared by Mark R. Wilson, with additional contributions from Stephen R. Porter and Janice L. Reiff.