Arthur E. "Art" Bartlett (November 26, 1933 – December 31, 2009) was an American entrepreneur and founder of the

Century 21 Real Estate Century 21 Real Estate LLC is an American real estate agent franchise company founded in 1971. The system consists of approximately 14,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 86 countries and territories worldwide with ...

franchise. He and a partner founded the company in 1971 with a single office, which had expanded to 7,700 offices worldwide by the time of his death, though he had sold the business to

Trans World Corporation Trans World Corporation was the original name of the holding company set up to own Trans World Airlines. History In 1967, when the airline sought to diversify into other areas of business, a key investment was ''Hilton International Hotels'', the ...

in 1979 for $89 million. Bartlett was born in

Glens Falls, New York Glens Falls is a City (New York), city in Warren County, New York, Warren County, New York, United States and is the central city of the Glens Falls, New York metropolitan area, Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,83 ...

, and moved with his family to

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

in the 1940s. He attended

Long Beach City College Long Beach City College (LBCC) is a public community college in Long Beach, California, United States. It was established in 1927 and is divided into two campuses, the Liberal Arts Campus (LAC) in Lakewood Village and the Trades, Technology, an ...

, but did not graduate.Lazo, Alejandro
"Arthur E. Bartlett dies at 76; co-founder of Century 21"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', January 6, 2010. Accessed January 7, 2010. After a series of other jobs, he took up real estate in the early 1960s, accepting a position with a residential real estate firm in the San Fernando Valley.Hevesi, Dennis
"Art Bartlett, Founder of Century 21 Real Estate, Dies at 76"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', January 6, 2010. Accessed January 7, 2010. He would own his own real estate company, and met his future partner, Marshall Fisher, at a chance meeting at a diner. Together with Fisher, he founded Century 21 with a single office in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana (Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census. As ...

in 1971. The business sought to provide independent real estate agencies with the combined advertising, training and brand recognition of the parent franchiser — including its distinctive gold-colored jackets — helping them compete with national and regional chains. By 1977, Century 21 had 6,000 brokers and the firm's share of commissions and other licensing fees the following year reached $23 million.

bought the company in 1979 for $28.50 per share in cash and convertible preferred stock, in a deal that valued the company at $89 million.Staff
"Trans World Corp. To Buy Century 21"
''

'', July 26, 1979. Accessed January 7, 2010. By the time of Bartlett's death, the company had 120,000 agents and 7,700 offices worldwide. Another real estate-related franchise — a home improvement chain called Mr. Build International — was established in the early 1980s, but was closed down by the end of the decade. Bartlett died at age 76 as a result of complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

while at his home in

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish language, Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort town, resort city in San Diego County, California, United States, across San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population ...

. He was survived by his second wife, Nancy Sanders, as well as by a daughter, a stepson, a granddaughter and three stepgrandchildren. His first marriage, to the former Collette Cupiss, ended with her death in 2002.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Art 1933 births 2009 deaths Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California Long Beach City College alumni People from Glens Falls, New York Businesspeople from Long Beach, California People from Coronado, California 20th-century American businesspeople