Francis Joseph Reitz (1841–1930) was an American

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

, civic leader, and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

Career

For more than 50 years, he was a leading figure in the Evansville's business life, retiring in 1924 as president of National City Bank (known most recently as Integra Bank). Reitz was a director of the bank for more than 40 years and was its president for 31 years. After he retired, he devoted his time to disposing through

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

of the vast wealth he had accumulated. In business circles, he was widely respected for his principled sense of business and high sense of public responsibility in the conduct of business. His obituary cited that Reitz was a gentleman of the "old school" and preferred to avoid public attention. He attributed his longevity to seldom worrying and keeping regular habits. Reitz claimed to have always slept nine hours each night and, after business hours, forgot business and refused to discuss it at his home.

Legacy

Reitz gave millions of dollars to various charities, churches, and educational organizations. According to his obituary, he regarded wealth, power. and brains as stewardships, and he felt they should be used for the benefit of all mankind. His gifts included ample contributions for helping start

Reitz Memorial High School Reitz Memorial High School or simply Memorial High School (MHS) is an inter-parochial Catholic high school on the east side of Evansville, Indiana. It sits on land bought with money donated by Francis Joseph Reitz in 1922 in memory of his parents ...

, a Catholic institution, and the West Side's public school also bearing his name,

FJ Reitz High School Francis Joseph Reitz High School (FJ Reitz High School, FJ Reitz, or simply Reitz) is a public high school on the west side of Evansville, Indiana. It was founded in 1918 following a donation from local philanthropist and banker Francis Joseph ...

. At the dedication of the Catholic school — founded in 1922 on the city's east side — Bishop

Joseph Chartrand Joseph Chartrand (May 11, 1870 – December 8, 1933) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the 6th Bishop of Indianapolis, serving from 1918 until his death in 1933. Biography Joseph Chartrand was born in St. Louis, Missouri, t ...

of Indianapolis arrived as the emissary of the pope to bestow on Reitz the title of Commander of the

Order of Pius IX , image = , caption = Knight's cross of the Order of Pius IX , awarded_by = , type = Papal order of knighthood , established = 1847 , motto = ''VIRTUTI ET MERITO''(Virtue and Merit) , day ...

. Reitz was the first individual in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

and the third individual in the United States to receive the high honor.FJ Reitz obituary, ''Evansville Courier'', 1930. Reitz also gave heavily to Evansville's

Little Sisters of the Poor The Little Sisters of the Poor (french: Petites Sœurs des pauvres) is a Catholic religious institute for women. It was founded by Jeanne Jugan. Having felt the need to care for the many impoverished elderly who lined the streets of French towns ...

on behalf of his father, John Augustus Reitz, and was a strong supporter of St. Vincent Orphanage in

Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attached ...

. He didn't confine his generosity to his own church, however. He also contributed substantially to the building fund of Evansville College (now the

University of Evansville The University of Evansville (UE) is a private university in Evansville, Indiana. It was founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College. The university operates a satellite center, Harlaxton College, in Grantham, England. UE offers more than 80 differ ...

), a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

institution. Reitz was a proponent of education for young men and indicated he regretted not having had the opportunity to obtain more formal education himself. Reitz's home (built by his father), at the corner of First and Chestnut Streets in Evansville, is now the

Reitz Home Museum The Reitz Home Museum is a Victorian house museum located in the Riverside Historic District in downtown Evansville, Indiana. The museum offers year-round guided tours. An authentic restoration offers visitors a step back in time with silk da ...

, the state's only Victorian house museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reitz, Francis Joseph People from Evansville, Indiana American bankers American people of German descent 1841 births 1930 deaths