Edward J. Barlow Jr.
Edward J. Barlow Jr. (August 3, 1937 – November 24, 2025) was an American banker, business executive, and civic leader. He was the youngest president of a savings and loan association in the United States when he was selected to lead the Connecticut Savings and Loan Association in 1968 at age 32.[1] The institution was the first minority-oriented savings and loan association in New England.[1] He later served as national president of the American Savings and Loan League, representing 73 minority-owned financial institutions with combined assets of one billion dollars.
Early life and education
Barlow was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and grew up in Bellevue Square, Hartford's first African American public housing development.[1] He attended Hartford Public Schools and graduated from Weaver High School in 1956, where he was the first African American to captain the football team.[2]
Barlow graduated with honors from Virginia State University with a degree in business administration and became a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.[3] He served honorably in the United States Army Reserve for over seven years.[3]
Career
Travelers Insurance
In 1962, Barlow joined Travelers Insurance as a systems analyst, two years before the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He rose to Supervisor of Systems Analysts, overseeing more than 30 IT professionals responsible for systems design and implementation for large-scale business applications.[4]
Connecticut Savings and Loan Association
In 1968, Barlow was selected by the board of directors as president and chief executive officer of the Connecticut Savings and Loan Association, making him the youngest savings and loan president in the country.[1] The institution, chartered on May 13, 1968, was the first minority-oriented savings and loan association in New England and Connecticut's first Black-owned financial institution.[1]
Hartford Mayor Ann Uccello praised the institution as "a prime example of the kind of action Hartford needs to assist citizens of our city to become homeowners."[1]
Barlow led the institution for ten years, growing its assets to over $9 million.[5] He also served concurrently on the board of directors of Bloomfield Bank & Trust.[4]
American Savings and Loan League
Barlow served as national president of the American Savings and Loan League, a trade association representing 73 minority-owned savings and loan institutions across the United States with combined assets of approximately one billion dollars.[4]
CIGNA Corporation
In 1978, Barlow joined Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (later CIGNA), where he worked for 26 years until his retirement in 2004. He rose to Assistant Vice President of Corporate Services in the Real Estate Division, managing an annual budget of $155 million and overseeing operations in multiple states.[4]
During his tenure at CIGNA, Barlow was a vocal advocate for minority advancement in corporate America. In a November 1982 Hartford Courant feature examining the challenges facing Black executives in Hartford's insurance industry, Barlow emphasized the need for proactive leadership, stating: "I don't think there's a corporation in the world that sits down in the morning and says our priority is race. So the initiative has to come from us."[6]
In the same article, Barlow reflected on his experience: "In almost every instance, when a black takes a high-level position, it's a first. Not just as an officer, but for any shirt and tie operation. And you feel isolated."[6]
Civic leadership
Barlow was active in numerous civic organizations:
- Wadsworth Atheneum – Elected to the Board of Trustees in January 1972. Pomeroy Day, Chairman of the Board, stated that Barlow "has distinguished himself as a leader in the community and in the field of banking."[7][8]
- The Artists Collective – First board president, helping to establish the organization alongside jazz musician Jackie McLean and his wife Dollie McLean in 1970.[4]
- Ebony Businessmen's League – President. In April 1969, the organization publicly supported Weaver High School students advocating for free speech rights.[9]
- Amistad House – Co-founder and Treasurer of Hartford's first infant day care center (1972–1983).[4]
- Barbour-Charlotte Development Corporation – President, overseeing the development of Chapelle Gardens, a 188-unit affordable housing development in Hartford.[4]
- Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce – Board of Directors; received the Charter Oak Leadership Award in 1971.[5]
- Greater Hartford Urban League – Board of Directors[7]
- Hartford Community Capital Corporation – Board of Directors[7]
Awards and recognition
- Charter Oak Leadership Award, Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce (1971)[5]
- Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Community Service, West Indian Celebration Committee (1974)[5]
- Leader of the Month, North End Agents newspaper (circa 1975)[5]
- 2025 Call Their Names honoree, State of Connecticut, for contributions to Connecticut's Black business and education experience (February 27, 2025)[10]
Personal life
Barlow was a member of Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, where he served on the Board of Deacons and as President of the Board of Loaves and Fishes Ministries.[4]
Family
Barlow was a cousin of Boce W. Barlow Jr., the first African American judge in Connecticut and the first African American elected to the Connecticut State Senate.[11] He was also related to Mary Jewel Barlow (1923–1945), a member of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion who is one of only four women buried at Normandy American Cemetery.[12]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "This time The Man is black". Hartford Times. October 24, 1969. pp. Special Section, p. 3.
- ↑ The Portal. Hartford, Connecticut: Weaver High School. 1956. Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Edward J. Barlow Jr. Obituary". November 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 "Edward J. Barlow Jr. Resume". October 22, 2004.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Edward Barlow Jr.: Leader of the Month for February". North End Agents. Hartford, Connecticut. circa 1975. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 McAndrews, Michael (November 28, 1982). "Blacks Still Find Little Room at the Top in City Firms". Hartford Courant. p. A20. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "courant1982" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Atheneum Board Elects Barlow". Hartford Courant. January 26, 1972. p. 11.
- ↑ "Edward J. Barlow, Jr. Elected to Board of Trustees" (Press release). Wadsworth Atheneum. January 21, 1972.
- ↑ Thornton, Steve (May 3, 2015). "A First Amendment Lesson: Weaver High Students Teach Their Elders". ConnecticutHistory.org. Connecticut Humanities. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
- ↑ "Official Statement from the State of Connecticut". Office of the Lieutenant Governor. February 27, 2025.
- ↑ "Boce W. Barlow Jr". Wikipedia.
- ↑ "Mary J. Barlow". American Battle Monuments Commission.
This article "Edward J. Barlow Jr." is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Edward J. Barlow Jr.. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
