 After a lucrative career as a lawyer, he found success as a business leader in Cleveland and came to own four national banks by 1863.Among other philanthropic ventures, Hurlbut founded the Lakeside Hospital, today part of the University Hospitals of Cleveland, and left funds through his will that would later help establish the Cleveland Museum of Art.He is considered to be one of the founders of the museum along with John Huntington, Horace Kelley, and Jeptha Wade II.