William Shroder, Founder of Council of Jewish Federations, Dead

Messages of sympathy from leaders of major Jewish organizations throughout the country were received during the week-end by the family of William J. Shroder, founder and first president of the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, who died here on Friday, aged 75.

Abandoning a successful career of law, Mr. Shroder devoted himself to social and civic affairs and played an important role in Jewish communal life. He was vice-chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee, member of the boards of numerous national Jewish institutions, and actively participated in local Jewish organizations. He was the founder and first president of the Cincinnati Jewish Community Council.

For eight consecutive years he served as president of the Cincinnati Board of Education. He was chairman of the executive budget committee of the Cincinnati Community Chest for 30 years. He also held other important civic positions.

A native of Cincinnati, he graduated from Yale and Harvard and practiced law from 1901 to 1921 when he retired to devote his entire time without compensation to social and civic activities. During the Spanish American War, he enlisted as a private in the Yale University Battery. He was elected national judge advocate general of the United Spanish War Veterans in 1905 and commander of the Ohio Department of the United Spanish War Veterans in 1906-07.