Earle B. Tilton

Earle Barton Tilton was born in 1899 at Tiltonville, Ohio, a town founded by his great-grandparents. He married Della
Lawrence in 1917, and they had one daughter, Delmarcia. He received a bachelor of law degree from Ohio Northern
University in 1917, and an honorary doctor of law degree in 1950. He received a bachelor of commercial science degree
from New York University in 1924, a doctor of jurisprudence degree from De Paul University in 1927, and was a member
of the Ohio and Illinois bar associations.

Dr. Tilton started his career with the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York. He was assistant vice-president of the Bank of
America until consolidation in 1929 with the Central Trust Company of Illinois, and vice-president of the latter until
consolidation in 1931 with National Bank of Republic. He was vice-president of Central Republic Bank and Trust Company,
and president of the Central-Illinois Company from 1933 to 1942. From 1942 to 1956, Tilton held other positions ending up
as Chairman of the Board President of the Nuclear-Chicago Corporation. During this time Tilton married Bernice (Sheppard
Ludwig) in 1941.

In 1976, Earle B. Tilton gave 1,280 acres of Red River Valley farmland in North Dakota (having a gift value of $706,000) to
Ohio Northern University. At the time, this was considered the largest single contribution from living individual in the
history of the University. The Tilton’s were to retain full use of the land during their lifetimes, and the University would
realize no income from the gift during the donors’ lives. Proceeds from the gift will be used to further legal education.

In recognition of this gift, on May 22, 1976, the law building was named in honor Earle B. Tilton. Tilton died on May 10,
1979 at Clearwater, Florida.