Carl Henry Lindner, Jr.
Born in Dayton in 1919; family moved to Cincinnati in 1930 when he was 11 years old
Self-made builder of businesses that employ thousands
Philanthropist
Devout Christian
Chairman of the Board of American Financial Group, Inc., a major financial services company he founded in 1959
One of the most successful corporate financiers in the nation
Source: Wire reports
Philanthropist, entrepreneur and family man — Carl Lindner Jr. was many things to many people.
Lindner, who died Monday at age 92, was well known for his ownership of Cincinnati-based businesses like United Dairy Farmers, Great American Insurance, Chiquita Brands International and the Cincinnati Reds, among others.
But those who knew him said his impact as a financier and businessman went well beyond the confines of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. His contributions, both charitable and commercial, made a significant impact in the region.
The Lindner Center of HOPE behavioral health center, the Lindner Family Tennis center, his ownership of Kings Island amusement park are only some of a laundry list of endeavours the billionaire businessman from Norwood, embarked on in Butler and Warren counties.
Perhaps most notably for students in the area, was his generous contributions to the University of Cincinnati. The region’s largest university benefited from more than $40 million in contributions to the Lindner Center of HOPE in Mason, according to President and CEO Dr. Paul Keck.
He also contributed $10 million to the varsity village athletic complex at the Clifton campus, which bears his family’s name. And fittingly, the university’s college of business also bears his name.
“I knew Mr. Lindner as a very kind, thoughtful, generous man, who also had a delightful sense of humor,” Keck said. “He was very keenly interested in creating the Center of HOPE to meet the substantial unmet needs for people with mental illness in the Greater Cincinnati area.”
Keck said it took a lot of courage for Lindner and his family to bear their family name on the center.
“I think there is still, unfortunately, a prevailing opinion among some people in society that mental illness is not due to a brain-based, biologic problem, but due to character weakness,” Keck said. “Mental illness is not something that’s typically been a focus for most philanthropic individuals or families in part because of the stigma — it took an act of courage for them put their name on the center, which is something they did to fight stigma.”
Lindner also helped forge the way for what is now a world-class tennis center in Mason, which hosts the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament. This year, the nine-day event drew 174,269 fans, a 20.7 percent increase over last year’s men’s event, which drew 144,331.
Phil Smith, president and CEO of the Warren County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, worked as an organizer for the tournament for 22 years, and characterized Lindner as a “great friend to the tournament.”
“He helped us to do so many things, and whenever we needed help, he always said ‘yes,’” Smith said. “He’s going to be missed, not just by the tournament, but by a lot of people in a lot of places.
“He had this marble-clad persona and I always found him to be very personable, very easy to talk to and willing to laugh.”
In 1987, Lindner purchased the majority of Taft Broadcasting and also purchased the Kings Entertainment Company for $150 million, which operated the Kings Island Amusement Park. After five years, KECO, which operated four parks, was sold for $400 million to Paramount Communications, according to the park’s website.
“Taking over Kings Island when that was important to do certainly has helped this area, and of course the land that he owns here that the tennis tournament was built on over time. He’s had an influence on Warren County,” Smith said.
Lindner was no stranger to politics, too, as he contributed to a host of candidates and committees — both Democratic and Republican. In Butler County, Lindner contributed to House Speaker John Boehner’s campaign committee, Friends of John Boehner, six times between May 2004 and June 2011, totaling $14,100, according to the Federal Elections Commission.
“Carl Lindner was a good friend, an entrepreneur and job creator who truly loved Cincinnati,” Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., said in a statement. “Never a man to turn down a worthy cause, Carl’s generosity touched countless lives. My thoughts and prayers are with Carl’s wife Edyth, his sons Carl, Craig, Keith, and all the Lindner family during this very sad time.”
Lindner is survived by his wife Edyth (nee Bailey), his sons Carl III (Martha), Craig (Frances) and Keith (Courtney), 12 grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Details on the memorial service and funeral arrangements have not been announced. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorials be made to the Kenwood Baptist Church in Cincinnati.
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