Carl Henry Lindner, Jr., innovative, self-made builder of
businesses that employ thousands, generous philanthropist, loving
husband, father and devout Christian, passed away yesterday, at the
age of 92, from causes incident to age. He was surrounded by his
wife, sons and other family members. At the time of his death, he
was Chairman of the Board of American Financial Group, Inc., a
major financial services company he founded in 1959. He was one of
the most successful corporate financiers in the nation.
Mr. Lindner was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1919, and the family
moved to Cincinnati in 1930 when he was 11 years old. He developed
industrious habits and a devotion to his community at a young age.
Mr. Lindner dropped out of school at age 15, at the bottom of the
Depression, and began working countless hours a day, delivering
milk door-to-door while attending high school classes at night. In
1940, he opened an ice cream shop with his father, brothers and
sister. Working with his family, he transformed the milk delivery
business into what is now known as United Dairy Farmers, originally
a milk and dairy store which launched Mr. Lindner’s career as a
self-made businessman and entrepreneur.
Over the course of his distinguished business and investment
career, Mr. Lindner held controlling interests in such notable
organizations as Great American Insurance Group, General Cable
Corporation, The Penn Central Corporation, Hanna-Barbera
Productions, Kings Island Company, the former Taft Broadcasting
Company, The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Cincinnati Reds, Chiquita
Brands International Inc., and The Provident Bank. With all his
diverse business ventures, he had a special interest for the
insurance and banking industry. While aggressive and driven as a
business leader, Mr. Lindner was by nature a soft-spoken, gracious,
humble and caring man who embodied the Biblical principle “Love thy
neighbor.” His kindness, generosity and consideration for his
employees, earned him their admiration, loyalty and affection. His
legendary Christmas parties featured stars such as Frank Sinatra
and included gifts to every employee.
Mr. Lindner contributed significantly to the economic and
cultural lives of his fellow Cincinnatians. Besides creating
thousands of Cincinnati-based jobs by headquartering his
enterprises in the area, Mr. Lindner donated his time and business
acumen to many Cincinnati educational, religious, cultural and
civic organizations. He and his wife Edyth are members of the
Kenwood Baptist Church. Mr. Lindner served on the Board of Advisors
to the University of Cincinnati College of Business Administration,
on the Board of Trustees of the Cincinnati Fine Arts Museum, the
Board of Overseers of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the
Commercial Club of Cincinnati and the Citizens for a Better
Cincinnati among many others. A public spirited citizen who loved
Cincinnati and his hometown of Norwood, Ohio, he was a friend and
confidant of numerous U.S. Presidents. He contributed to both
parties but was a loyal supporter of conservatives and Republicans,
both locally and nationally.
With a deep desire to express gratitude for his hometown, Mr.
Lindner became a generous and devoted philanthropist, and his
influence is evident all over Cincinnati as well as nationally.
Together with his wife, Edyth, Mr. Lindner and their family have
been major benefactors of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and
the Otto Armleder Memorial Education Center. In 2006, Mr. Lindner
helped to establish The Craig and Frances Lindner Center of HOPE,
Cincinnati’s premier mental health center. His financial support
was instrumental in establishing the Carl H. Lindner Family Center
for Reproduction of Endangered Wildlife at the Cincinnati Zoo, the
Carl and Edyth Lindner Waterworks Park, as well as Lindner Park, a
public recreational facility in Norwood, Ohio, the Carl and Edyth
Lindner Ice Age Exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and the
Carl Lindner Family Tennis Pavilion at Sawyer Point. He was a
strong supporter of the ATP (now known as the Western &
Southern Open). In addition, he made generous donations to
establishments such as the Boy Scouts of America, National
Underground Railroad and the World Trade Center Memorial.
Education was a cause dear to his heart because he did not
finish high school. He liked to joke that his business success was
due to the straight-A’s he earned in his evening high school
courses; he found great satisfaction in giving others the
educational opportunities he had missed. Mr. Lindner often
expressed his thoughts by handing out little white cards with
sayings on them. One read: “I like to do my giving while I’m living
so I’m knowing where it’s going.” He once defined money simply as
“a medium of exchange that one must learn to use wisely.”
Mr. Lindner received numerous awards and accolades in
recognition of his philanthropy and community involvement. The
University of Cincinnati recognized his significant contributions
to the College of Business Administration by awarding Mr. Lindner
the honorary degree Doctor of Commercial Science. In 1985 the
University of Cincinnati again recognized Mr. Lindner with the
dedication of Carl H. Lindner Hall and the creation of the Carl H.
Lindner Medal for Outstanding Business Achievement, awarded
annually, and then again in 2011 with the naming of Carl H. Lindner
College of Business. He was also inducted into the National
Business Hall of Fame and Greater Cincinnati Business Hall of Fame.
In addition, he was a Founding Trustee of the Kennedy Center in
Washington, D.C. and a member of the Alfalfa Club.
These public honors recognized only a small fraction of his
generosity. Most gifts were given quietly, often anonymously to
organizations, churches and individuals or families that were
struck by tragedy or loss. He gave abundantly, gracefully, with a
cheerful heart. Although he became one of the wealthiest men in
America, he said his “paychecks” were the frequent, spontaneous
expressions of gratitude he received from others. In 1994, Xavier
University awarded Mr. Lindner the honorary degree Doctor of
Humanities and dedicated the Carl H. Lindner Family Physics
Building, the final facility completing Xavier’s Science Center. In
1994 the City of Cincinnati recognized Mr. Lindner as a Great
Living Cincinnatian. In 1997 the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati
presented Mr. Lindner with its prestigious Heritage Award. Mr.
Lindner was named a “Beacon of Light Humanitarian” by the
Cincinnati-based Lighthouse Youth Services. In 1995 he received the
International Peace Award, the highest International award given by
Jewish National Fund.
Despite his prominent business and philanthropic presence, Mr.
Lindner was a mild-mannered man who cherished his privacy. As a
young man, he drove his family’s milk truck on dates, and pledged
that someday he would own a nice car. His one flamboyance was Rolls
Royce convertibles, and he was often seen driving around Cincinnati
with the top down. Mr. Lindner was a patriot who loved America and
never forgot the work ethic he learned in the family’s Norwood
dairy store. Another of his calling cards read: “Only in America.
Gee, am I lucky.”
Mr. Lindner is survived by his wife Edyth (nee Bailey), his sons
Carl III (Martha), Craig (Frances) and Keith (Courtney), twelve
grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Details on the memorial
service and funeral arrangements will be forthcoming. In lieu of
flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Kenwood
Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.
About American Financial Group,
Inc.
American Financial Group is an insurance holding company, based
in Cincinnati, Ohio with assets in excess of $30 billion. Through
the operations of Great American Insurance Group, AFG is engaged
primarily in property and casualty insurance, focusing on
specialized commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of
traditional fixed and indexed annuities and a variety of
supplemental insurance products, such as Medicare Supplement. Great
American Insurance Group’s roots go back to 1872 with the founding
of its flagship company, Great American Insurance Company.
American Financial (NYSE:AFG)
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American Financial (NYSE:AFG)
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