Great Living Cincinnatians: Honorees

Among the dozens of framed family photos in Bill Friedlander’s office at Bartlett & Co. was a gift from a colleague that bears a telling message: A box of Wheaties sporting Friedlander’s likeness.

In 41 years at the largest, locally-based money management firm, Friedlander, Bartlett & Co.’s chairman, earned the respect of the business community, as well as the unofficial mantle “Broker of Champions”.

William Friedlander was born in Cincinnati in 1932. He attended Walnut Hills High School, and graduated from Amherst College in 1954. He served two years in the US Army, and attended the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

Friedlander married his high school sweetheart, Susan in 1955, and settled in the Cincinnati suburb of Wyoming.

Bill joined the Cincinnati investment firm, Bartlett & Company in 1957, and became managing partner in 1967. He stepped down as CEO in 1989, and continued to serve as chairman until 2007, when he became chairman emeritus. He remained on the firm’s strategic allocation committee until his death.

While he headed Bartlett & Co. for years, Friedlander, is equally recognized for investing in the community. He served on the boards of Jewish Hospital and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, where assets grew from $40 million to $140 million during his term.

“The Foundation is such an important part of the city – it was very satisfying to see it grow,” he said. “We were able to help a lot more organizations.”

The arts were a lifelong passion for Friedlander. He and his wife co-chaired the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Second Century Fund campaign from 1995-97, raising $37 million, believed to be the largest amount ever raised for an arts organization in Greater Cincinnati.

William Friedlander died September 10, 2014 at his home in Cincinnati. He was 81.