Great Living Cincinnatians: Honorees

Walter Lingle began his career as a police reporter for the Richmond News Leader. But after a few months he found that his talents lay in the business field. He became a research assistant for the Association of National Advertisers, and in 1931 joined Procter & Gamble in its developing advertising department. He eventually emerged as one of the company’s most successful brand managers and quickly moved up to manager of foreign business, and in 1948, vice president in charge of overseas operations. By 1954 he was an executive vice president with responsibilities for all P&G foreign operations.

In 1962, Lingle became first deputy administrator of the Agency for International Development, and later, deputy associate administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He returned to P&G in 1964.

In 1970 he was asked by Mayor Eugene Ruelmann to chair what became known as the Lingle Committee and develop plans for an improved form of county government. That document serves as a blueprint for governmental reorganization in Hamilton County.

Lingle helped get the local Council on World Affairs on a sound financial footing and is their current vice chairman. He also served on a national committee of the Community Chest that developed an effective plan to recruit and train better qualified staff to manage the organization’s local offices. He is a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America, and in 1976 was the manager of the U.S. delegation of Boy Scouts to the Jamboree in Norway.