Trump, Vance fundraiser hostess hails from one of Cincinnati's wealthiest families
Former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance will lunch Wednesday on a sprawling estate on a hilltop in Indian Hill owned by the great-granddaughter of the founder of one of Cincinnati's largest companies.
The hostess of the $50,000-a-person fundraiser at 4500 Drake Road is Peggy Gardner Johns. Her great-grandfather is Richard "Doc" Farmer, founder of Cintas, a Mason, Ohio-based Fortune 500 company that provides products and services to businesses like uniforms, cleaning supplies and safety products.
Trump is slated to headline the "lunch discussion" that features Vance as a special guest, according to an invitation obtained by the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau. Attendees must contribute $50,000 each, which will go toward a joint fundraising committee that includes Trump's campaign, the RNC, the Ohio GOP and several other state GOP groups.
Who is Peggy Gardner Johns?
Peggy Gardner Johns isn't well-known in political circles, but Federal Election Commission records show she has donated money in the past to Trump and Vance.
She is being thrust into the national political spotlight Wednesday as Vance headlines the event that is widely seen as a behind-the-scenes tryout to be Trump's vice presidential pick.
Vance's political team declined to comment, and Peggy Gardner Johns did not return calls for comment.
She owned the now-closed Snap Boutique in Hyde Park Square.
Who is Gary Johns?
Peggy John's father, James Gardner, and his brother-in-law, Richard "Dick" Farmer helped build Cintas into a business worth billions, according to a 2004 article in the Cincinnati Post. James Gardner retired as vice president of Cintas in 1988 and died in 2013. Gardner was married for 60 years to Cintas founder Doc Farmer's granddaughter, Joan Farmer Gardner.
Peggy and Gary Johns are philanthropists who have given millions to numerous local organizations by leading the James J. and Joan A. Gardner Family Foundation. After Peggy Gardner Johns' mother, Joan Gardner, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2005, the foundation focused on fighting the disease. The foundation gave $14 million to the University of Cincinnati's Gardner Neuroscience Institute in 2015, which now bears the family's name.
The Farmer family is ranked as the 37th richest family in the nation with a net worth of $12.5 billion, according to Forbes.
Gary Johns is the owner of Fairfield, Ohio-based metal manufacturer G&W Products.
Where is the Trump fundraiser in Cincinnati?
Peggy Gardner Johns and Gary Johns have supported Vance in the past, according to FEC campaign finance records. They both donated the maximum allowable donation in the primary and general 2022 elections, which is $2,900. So together the couple donated $11,600 to the race that propelled Vance into the United States Senate. Peggy Johns also donated $2,900 in 2019 to the Trump 2020 election, the records show.
Wednesday isn't the first high-profile gathering the Johns have hosted. In 2005, they welcomed Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, to their estate in a private reception for 100 people, according to Enquirer archives. The prince was in town to give a lecture at the Westin Hotel in Downtown Cincinnati.
The house is expansive but private. Property records from the Hamilton County auditor list Gary and Peggy Johns as owners of the massive, 16,000-square-foot mansion set back off a narrow road in one of Ohio's wealthiest neighborhoods.
The home was built in 1940 with a pool and seven bathrooms. It was on the market last year for $8.9 million, according to Zillow, but did not sell. A YouTube aerial video shows the breadth of the massive home that spreads across the hilltop surrounded by 29 acres of woods.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Peggy Gardner Johns to host Cincinnati Trump Vance fundraiser
