D. Gerald Lach papers

Delmar Gerald Lach is a controversial Cincinnati-area minister and real estate developer. Lach was born on July 24, 1923 to Roy and Ermah Lach in Bracken County, Kentucky. He attended Asbury College where he received a bachelor of arts degree in 1946 and Garrett Theological Seminary where he received a Bachelor of Divinity in 1952. He became minister of Mount Moriah Church (Methodist) in Union Township (Clermont County, Ohio) in 1947. Lach became involved in planning in Clermont County, a quickly growing rural county where 11,000 new houses were built between 1950 and 1960. Most of these homes were poorly constructed. Lach worked to ensure that a planning structure was created in the county to assist with growth.

After serving as a minister for 20 years, Lach decided to become a land and real estate developer. He founded the C.I.P. (Clermont Industrial Parks) Corporation and served as its president from 1966 until 1973. The CIP Corporation was successful in bringing an airport, businesses, and UC's Clermont branch to Clermont County.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Lach launched a plan to revitalize the Greater Cincinnati region with a monorail and an outer-belt highway. In 2002, he was convicted of selling unregistered securities and misleading investors. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison, but only served 6 months.