Daniel L. Ritchie, 1917 - 2018

Daniel L. Ritchie was born on September 19, 1931 in Springfield, Illinois. His father was a farm implement dealer in North Carolina. He graduated with a B.A. degree from Harvard in 1954 and a MBA in 1956. After earning his degrees, he was a securities analyst for Lehman Brothers on Wall Street, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Columbia Savings and Loan Association in Denver, Colorado and served as the President and Founder of Archon Pure Products Company. In 1974, He joined Westinghouse as the Executive Vice President of the Learning and Leisure Time Industries division and later became the Chairman and CEO of Westinghouse Broadcasting for eight years before moving back to Colorado in 1987.

Ritchie's relationship with the University of Denver began in 1983 when he was elected to serve on the Board of Trustees. Through his work as the Chairman and head of the Development Committee, the University raised more than $14 million dollars. Known as DU's "cowboy chancellor," Daniel Ritchie served as the University of Denver’s 16th chancellor from 1989 to 2005. He also served as board chair and trustee emeritus after his chancellorship.

The DU of today was Ritchie’s vision. He helped fund and create the physical spaces of work, academics, and play on campus. Under his leadership, DU built many new buildings, beginning with Olin Hall in 1997 and expanding to include iconic buildings such as the Newman Center for the Performing Arts, Nagel and Spruce Halls, and, of course, the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports & Wellness.

Shortly after becoming Chancellor, Ritchie appointed a task force to review international activities at the University. Based on that report, the University expanded and restructured its international programs. Study Abroad and International Human Rights Advocacy were given prominence in the University's strategic plan. The Cherrington Global Scholars initiative expanded study abroad opportunities for students, and the International Human Rights Advocacy Center was established.

Under Ritchie’s leadership, DU entered NCAA Division I athletics where DU continues to dominate as a non-football institution. During Ritchie’s tenure as chancellor, DU also advanced academically under the stewardship and guidance of competent and dedicated leaders. As a former businessman, Ritchie led with a business mind and instilled a deep, institution-wide commitment to ethics and a high moral standard that persists today.

In June 1994, Ritchie gave a gift of $15 million dollars to the University, by selling 19,600 acres of his ranch. Since then he has given the University the remainder of the ranch which has netted more than $50 million dollars. Dan’s ties to DU remained strong for the rest of his life after his chancellorshipl; he served as an honorary life trustee, and in 2013, he donated his Santa Barbara ranch, valued at $27 million, to fund construction of a new building for the Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, named after his father. Months later, he made a $1 million gift, matched by the University, in honor of his late mother, creating the Jessie Dee Ritchie Endowed Graduate Scholarship Fund for Music.

Daniel Ritchie passed away on January 30, 2025.