Eugene P. Ruehlmann, Esq.
Honorary Doctorate - 2005

Eugene Ruehlmann is hooded by Cheryl
Foley (L) and his daughter, Dr. Virginia
Ruehlmann Wiltse (R)In 1942, at age 17, his fellow students voted him “Boy Mayor of Cincinnati.” The citizens of Cincinnati entrusted the job to him 25 years later, and were well served in return.

Former Cincinnati mayor Mr. Eugene P. Ruehlmann is best known at Union as a respected Board of Trustees member, serving the university from 2001 to 2006.  However, in Cincinnati, his legacy extends much further, including the revitalization of the city’s riverfront and downtown business district, and his healing work following racial riots in the 1960s.

During his long career in public service, Mr. Ruehlmann developed a reputation as “the main workhorse of a city’s ruling body.”  He served six terms on Cincinnati City Council from 1959 to 1971, the last four years as mayor.  During that time, he led efforts to build the Albert B. Sabin Convention Center and Riverfront Stadium, and also helped bring the Bengals NFL franchise to Cincinnati.

Following a spring of riots in 1967, Mr. Ruehlmann reconstituted the city’s Human Relations Commission and founded the Mayor’s Housing Coordinating Committee and Cincinnati’s Project Commitment, all of which helped bring the community back together.  He chaired the Hamilton County Republican Party Central Committee from 1991 to1996, and The Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce honored him in 1998 as a Great Living Cincinnatian, one of the community’s top annual awards.

An attorney with Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease LLP, Mr. Ruehlmann practiced law for more than 55 years and served as a member of the Hamilton County Board of Elections. He has also served on the boards of many corporations and charitable organizations, including the Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the Helen Steiner Rice Foundation, and the Western-Southern Life Insurance Company.

Mr. Ruehlmann shares a deep interest in Union Institute & University with his daughter, Dr. Virginia Ruehlmann Wiltse, who earned her Ph.D. with a concentration in spirituality from UI&U in 2000. Following in her father’s footsteps, Dr. Wiltse currently serves as a member of Union’s Board of Trustees.