Benjamin Gettler was a lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist. The son of two Jewish immigrants, he graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a B.A. in Economics, and then Harvard Law School. As a labor lawyer, he worked for the likes of the University of Cincinnati, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and Robert F. Kennedy. As a businessman, he served on the Board of Directors for Cincinnati Transit, and owned American Controlled Industries, Inc, a holding firm which allowed him to sell Cincinnati Transit, Inc. to the city of Cincinnati. As a philanthropist, he served as a trustee to the University of Cincinnati, as well as the Southwest Regional Transit Authority. As a concerned citizen, he worked to promote Israeli alliances and fight antisemitism through the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs. He was an active Republican, devotedly contributing to political campaigns through work and finance. He engaged regularly in discourse with elected officials on the local, state, and national levels.
This exhibit highlights some of his work that is represented in the Benjamin Gettler Papers at the University of Cincinnati Archives & Rare Books Library. The collection was donated by Benjamin Gettler’s family, which consists of his work for the Cincinnati Transit Company, the University of Cincinnati, the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, the Jewish Institute of National Security Affairs, and political participation. The collection is almost 9 linear feet and contains meeting minutes, correspondence, books, photographs, commemorative objects, a robe, and jelly beans.
Funding for the project was made possible through a generous grant from Benjamin Gettler’s family, which allowed for arrangement, description, and preservation of the collection, as well as digitization of select materials this web exhibit.
This exhibit was written and designed by Alex Temple.