Mr. Bowen previously founded CallTech Communications, which was the fastest growing business in Columbus for several years before being acquired by Teleperformance USA in 2004. Ann attends college in Minnesota; Tory operates a My Nails salon in Columbus; Douglas wants to open a restaurant, to be called El Lobo Charbroil, in Grandview; Robert III once worked for WBNS-TV, but left the station in the 1970s. By the turn of the century, the family was starting to flex itscivic muscles. His first, to Jo Ann Wallace, ended in 1968 in one of the most bitter divorce cases in Ohio history. He lived quietly in central Bexley in a relatively modest house whose $230,000 tax valuation makes it barely average for the neighborhood. From manufacturing shoes, the brothers diversified to retailing, forming a chain of shoe stores called Wolfe Wear-U-Well, which survived until the late 1950s. When you were done, you'd leave, not knowing what he thought. Their brother, Richard-a lover of music who tended to the family's banking operations-died of an illness while on a vacation cruise in 1953. "John Walton Wolfe was not shy about using political power in getting something done in the city," Curtin said. Or should the current Wolfes be commended for following an old family motto: "Self praise is half slander"? This home includes 57 acres of land in New Albany. But their other assets remain impressive: The Ohio Company, Central Ohio's largest brokerage and investment banking house, has nearly $100 million in assets and a net worth of nearly $50 million. His sister, Nancy Barton Wolfe, once worked at the Dispatch and has two children from a marriage that ended in divorce. John F. has been a diligent member of several boards-the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, St. Ann's Hospital, Columbus School for Girls-and seems to have inherited his father Preston's sense ofnoblesse oblige. ), "It washeart-wrenching to my father," said Katie Wolfe Lloyd. Whether the Wolfes used their influence or not seems almost beside the point. "He cared about the people and every aspect of the quality of life," Wexner said. That left John W. and Edgar Jr. in control of half the Wolfe assets, while the other half was spread among the families of Harry P. Wolfe's three sons. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. With the death of Edgar Wolfe in 1957, seniority in the family fell to two of Harry's sons: Robert and Preston. In the 1920s, Robert's son, Edgar, an early champion of aviation, invited the famed aviator Charles Lindbergh to Columbus to promote an airport. A shy man who avoided social events, he would sometimes stroll through theDispatchnewsroom, asking reporters and editors about stories that interested him. Columbus married Sallie Alice Wolfe. During the 1960s, working from the executive offices of Ohio National Bank, John W. came to dominate family business councils. You are correct! One of those children, Robert F., left home while still in his teens, in the 1870s. Harry Wolfe wasn't afraid to play hardball in any venture. Less obvious is the family's role in countless other Columbus institutions. "Henever did.". Two other brothers, Charles and Edgar Wolfe, were early partners, but later left to form their own shoe company. Whatever the motivation, the result of Dick Wolfe's departure was to consolidate John W. Wolfe's control of family interests even more firmly. Some have moved to California and Texas. We thought for sure it would make the updated list in 2022 but somehow is all the way down at #58 with an appraised value of $2.35 million. But Eddie fell victim to AIDS, the always fatal disintegration of the body's immune systems that primarily afflicts homosexuals. Did the Wolfes really control Columbus? Ed Jr. married twice and had four children: Edgar III and Elisa by his first wife, Marilyn; and Andrew and Amy by his second wife, Carolyn. Only the Wolfe Wear-U-Well shoe business was in decline, and it had long since become a relatively small part of the family empire. The Wolfe family sold the Dispatch to GateHouse for $47 million in 2015. Resigned in 1984 from the University Hospitals board of trustees, citing his dissatisfaction with hospital administration and the huge sums earned by doctors in private practice there. At one point he sent her a letter calling her a "gold digger." Secretive and suspicious of outsiders, the brothers were intensely loyal to each other. No Wolfe woman has ever held substantial power in a family business. According to Probate Judge Richard Metcalf, a vast majority of will interpretation cases never even set a hearing date. In recent years John W. has become more active-and more open-in participating in civic decisions. The home was purchased by an LLC from Cathy Kurgis in 2008 for $2.75 million. "Theresnot a leader who has beenaroundfor the last 30 or 40 years who didnt come to Johns office to seek hisadviceon any majordevelopment," said Guy Worley, the former president and chief executive officer of the Columbus Downtown Development Corp. One of those was W.G. Some portray him as ruthless, quick-tempered, vindictive and constantly suspicious that others are out to take advantage of him. Phone: (614) 263-5297. Today, the family's business is largely in real estate, but its civic activities continue. John W. is said to be close, these days, to his niece, Amy, one of Edgar Jr.'s four children. Yet, it seems unlikely that the Wolfes would sell the Dispatch and the Ohio Company. Based on that document and verbal promises from his uncle, John W. Wolfe, the Bank of California contends, Eddie died believing his estate was secure and his wishes would be followed. Dispatchadvertising increased,Citizencirculation fell, and theDispatchsoon established dominance. But Harry never wavered. Consider what happened in 1958 to a popular TV anchorman named Bill Jorgensen. According to an article in the Columbus Dispatch, the sale includes the suburban weeklies This Week Newspapers, Columbus Monthly and Capital Style among others. This property is also owned by the Wexners. She recalls her father picking her up after school and taking her to help tend to the cattle and ducks on his farm-called Lobo Land and Cattle-near Buckeye Lake. "For three generations, they had the most understated and underappreciated impact on the development of Columbus than any other family by far in the city's history," said Michael Curtin, who worked at the Dispatch Printing Companyfor 34 years before retiring in 2007 as associate publisher of the paper. TheCitizen'seditors struck back with front-page editorials, including one comparing Harry Wolfe to Mussolini. Thrusting John W. to the forefront was a stunning and tragic accident that killed his brother, Edgar Jr. Ed, as his friends called him, had spent his career at the Wolfe papers, becoming publisher and chairman of the Dispatch Printing Company when Preston retired in 1973. James Rhodes, a close political ally, to eliminate Ohio's health planning agencies. GO. Redd retired from the NBA in 2013. His favorite pastimes, friends and relatives say, are gardening and cooking, and he's been known to prepare elaborate gourmet dinners, complete with such garnishes as squash, cut into pieces that spell "Go Bucks! The home was sold in 2011 when the Herbstreits moved to Nashville and is now owned by an LLC. That house is owned by Cardinal Health founder, Robert Walter. John W. was a stronger personality than his brother, although Edgar Jr. was three years older. The continuing technological explosion in and around Los Angeles-especially in satellite communications-lured him. "That wouldn't have happened 10 years ago," says one associate. Rightly or wrongly, he was seen as more liberal, more open and friendly-certainly more social. The Wolfe brothers, both former newsboys,soon channeled their energy into newspapers. Sometimes it seems the more the family does for the city-and its contributions have been considerable-the more mistrusted it becomes. Unlike some of his more reticent relatives, John W. hasn't hesitated to use his power. "Everyone," recalls the observer, "was horrified.". In four generations, no Wolfe woman-spouse or child-has ever assumed an important role in a family enterprise. Lentz likened the Wolfes to the Jeffrey, Huntington or Deshlerfamilies forthe longevity of their prominence in Columbus. George has been a resident of Ohio for 43 years. Eventually John W. stopped paying alimony, claiming Jo Ann was living with a man out of wedlock, just so he, John W., would still be required to support her. Voters approved bonds for the venture and, as a result, Port Columbus opened in 1929. Robert was a rotund, jovial man who loved the Shriners, the F.B.I. Appraised Value: $2,550,000if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'nothingbuthouse_com-leader-3','ezslot_7',115,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-nothingbuthouse_com-leader-3-0'); The former home of ESPN analyst and former OSU quarterback Kirk Herbstreit. To this day, Jo Ann Wallace Wolfe is said to despise her former husband. Your reminder that Leslie Wexner financed the mass rape and trafficking of thousands of American children for over a decade and, right now, he is sitting in a 26k square foot mansion in New Albany, Ohio thinking that he is above the law. But the brothers didn't let such opinions stand in the way of good business. One of the most colorful stories of the family's early civic activismcameduring the flood of 1913. John F., 42, became publisher of theDispatchafter Edgar Jr.'s death in 1975. The former home of racing legend, Bobby Rahal. Robert, a former employee later recalled, "gave devoted attention. He never made a public speech and rarely attended community events. Now retired, he still believes the Wolfes ran him out of Columbus. The value comes in the form of 75 acres of land in prime New Albany territory. "When I got to Columbusin 2000, he was one of the first meetings Itook," Jurgensen said. Taking into account various assets, Abbey's net worth is greater than $250,000 - $499,999; and makes between $100 - 149,999 a year . We know that Robin is married at this point. John W. Wolfe, the Ohio Company's chairman, oversees all major family enterprises from his office in the BancOhio building at 155 E. Broad St. He died in 1957 at the age of 63. Dispatch staffers tweeted that they were told at a newsroom meeting there would be no layoffs for 90 days.The deal does not include TV stations WBNS (10TV) in Columbus and WTHR in Indianapolis, or RadiOhio Inc., which operates the WBNS-AM and WBNS-FM radio stations. For a family that dominates Columbus media, the Wolfes are conspicuously loath to publicize themselves or their activities. The 13,250 square foot home is the second largest home in Columbus proper. All of the New Albany properties are outside of the outerbelt, as all of New Albany itself is outside of it. When Harry Wolfe died of kidney disease at the age of 73 in 1946, he still despised theCitizen, believing it had been in some measure responsible for Columbus's worst banking crisis. John W. Wolfe says he's made only one public speech in his life, when he received the city's Christopher Columbus award a few years ago. Apparently displeased by the pretentiousness of the black-tie affair, Robert wrote "Bullshit" on a program and left abruptly. Express was a division of L Brands until 2007 when it was sold to Golden Gate Capital. In Columbus, the name says it all. In 1905, the Wolfe brothers used a front-Chicago newspaper owner John C. Eastman-to trick Gill into selling his own Columbus paper, theColumbus Dispatch. Wolfe worked closely with the city to develop the Scioto River waterfront, bring the National Veterans Memorial and Museum to the riverfrontand replace the failed City Center Mall with Columbus Commons park, which was renamed in honor of him after his death. Bruce, indeed, left Columbus at age 13 and has lived mainly in California ever since. "Edgar could be very kind to loyal friends and employees," recalls an acquaintance, "but he was hard to understand. One retired civic leader recalls sitting near him at a Symphony Ball. Both brothers were generous to employees whose loyalty they trusted, often handing out large Christmas bonuses and paying hospital bills. As Columbus has grown from agricultural crossroads to major metropolis, the Wolfe family has remained, seemingly unshakable, atop the city's power structure. Today, he directs business affairs from his positions as chairman of the Dispatch Printing Company and chairman of the Ohio Company, having moved there in the 1970s after federal banking regulators-concerned about possible conflicts of interest-were able to force John W. off the BancOhio board of directors. Until the late 1970s, when it began to be challenged by aggressive competitors, BancOhio remained Columbus's largest and most powerful banking organization. It's their reputation for secrecy, for hard-nosed, back-room dealing, for political kingmaking, for refusing to conform to some of the conventions of "polite" society. The property is called the Wigwam and is known for its Native American motif. At the end of 1985, the family consolidated its hold on local mediawhen it allowed a joint operating agreement between The Dispatch and the Columbus Citizen Journal to expire, resulting in the shutdown of the "CJ," as it was widely known, and leaving The Dispatch the community's sole daily paper. Mr. Davis is the former CEO of Liqui-box. Mr. Wexner is the founder of the Limited, now L Brands. After holding out longer than many independent publishers, in June 2015, the family shockedthe staff and the community by announcing it was selling the Dispatch and its sister publications including Columbus Monthly, Columbus CEO and ThisWeek Community Newsto New Media Investment Group Inc., the New York-based parent company of GateHouse Media, for $47 million. Wolfes ran him out of Columbus fell to two of Harry 's sons: Robert and.. 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