Arthur E. "Art" Bartlett (November 26, 1933 – December 31, 2009) was an American entrepreneur and founder of the

Century 21 Real Estate Century 21 Real Estate LLC is an American real estate agent franchise company founded in 1971. The system consists of approximately 14,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 86 countries and territories worldwide with ov ...

franchise. He and a partner founded the company in 1971 with a single office, which had expanded to 7,700 offices worldwide by the time of his death, though he had sold the business to

Trans World Corporation Trans World Corporation was the original name of the holding company set up to own Trans World Airlines. History In 1967, when the airline sought to diversify into other areas of business, a key investment was ''Hilton International Hotels'', the ...

in 1979 for $89 million. Bartlett was born in Glens Falls, New York, and moved with his family to Long Beach, California in the 1940s. He attended Long Beach City College, but did not graduate.Lazo, Alejandro
"Arthur E. Bartlett dies at 76; co-founder of Century 21"
'' Los Angeles Times'', January 6, 2010. Accessed January 7, 2010. After a series of other jobs, he took up real estate in the early 1960s, accepting a position with a residential real estate firm in the San Fernando Valley.Hevesi, Dennis
"Art Bartlett, Founder of Century 21 Real Estate, Dies at 76"
'' The New York Times'', January 6, 2010. Accessed January 7, 2010. He would own his own real estate company, and met his future partner, Marshall Fisher, at a chance meeting at a diner. Together with Fisher, he founded Century 21 with a single office in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...

in 1971. The business sought to provide independent real estate agencies with the combined advertising, training and brand recognition of the parent franchiser — including its distinctive gold-colored jackets — helping them compete with national and regional chains. By 1977, Century 21 had 6,000 brokers and the firm's share of commissions and other licensing fees the following year reached $23 million.

bought the company in 1979 for $28.50 per share in cash and convertible preferred stock, in a deal that valued the company at $89 million.Staff
"Trans World Corp. To Buy Century 21"
'' The New York Times'', July 26, 1979. Accessed January 7, 2010. By the time of Bartlett's death, the company had 120,000 agents and 7,700 offices worldwide. Another real estate-related franchise — a home improvement chain called Mr. Build International — was established in the early 1980s, but was closed down by the end of the decade. Bartlett died at age 76 as a result of complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

while at his home in Coronado, California. He was survived by his second wife, Nancy Sanders, as well as by a daughter, a stepson, a granddaughter and three stepgrandchildren. His first marriage, to the former Collette Cupiss, ended with her death in 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Art 1933 births 2009 deaths Businesspeople from California Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Long Beach City College alumni People from Glens Falls, New York People from Long Beach, California People from Coronado, California 20th-century American businesspeople