Great Living Cincinnatians: Honorees

Cincinnati native Joseph Hayden Jr. went to Withrow High School and Miami University. He was CEO of the Midland Co. for 38 years, taking a company that was started in the 1930s as an auto finance firm and growing it as a niche insurer of property that other insurance companies didn’t want to cover: mobile homes, motorcycles, pleasure boats and antique cars. Midland further diversified with a river transportation business, M/G Transport, which ferries grain, corn and other dry goods over the inland waterways.

Hayden also founded the Midland youth baseball program nearly 50 years ago, and his teams are perennially among the best in the nation in amateur competition, frequently making trips to the Connie Mack World Series of the American Amateur Baseball Congress.

Midland has become the best-known name in Cincinnati amateur baseball and has been a stop for many local stars, including Barry Larkin, Ken Griffey Jr., Ron Oester and Bill Doran, who all played for the Cincinnati Reds.The Midland program boasts nearly 40 alums who became major-leaguers.

Hayden’s business success has been substantial, and his sons still operate the business, even after it was sold to insurance giant Munich Re. He served on the board of US Bancorp and its predecessors, Firstar and Star Banc Corp., for 29 years and also on the board of the Federal National Mortgage Association, Fannie Mae, for 22 years.

Hayden was still active with the program at age 79, but said: “I can’t pitch batting practice anymore.”

Hayden died on November 29, 2014. He was 85.