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List of governors of Ohio

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Number of Governors of Ohio by party affiliation[1]
Party Governors
Republican 29
Democratic 23
Democratic-Republican 8
Whig 5
Federalist 2
National Republican 1

The following is a list of Governors of the State of Ohio and the Northwest Territory which preceded it. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Ohio's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws; the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Ohio Legislature; the power to convene the legislature; and the power to grant pardons, except in cases of treason and impeachment.[A]

The first constitution of 1802 allowed governors to serve for two years, limited to six out of any eight years, commencing on the first Monday in the December following the election.[B] The current constitution of 1851 removed the term limit, and moved the start of the term to the second Monday in January.[C] A 1957 amendment[C] lengthened the term to four years, and allowed governors to only succeed themselves once, having to wait four years after their second term in a row before being allowed to run again.[D] An Ohio Supreme Court ruling in 1973 clarified this to mean governors could theoretically serve unlimited terms, as long as they waited four years after every second term.[C]

Should the office of governor become vacant due to death, resignation, or conviction of impeachment, the lieutenant governor becomes governor. Should the office of lieutenant governor also become vacant, the president of the state senate acts as governor.[E] If the vacancy of both offices took place during the first twenty months of the term, a special election is to be held on the next even-numbered year to elect new officers to serve out the current term.[F] Prior to 1851, the speaker of the senate acted as governor for the term.[G] Since 1974, the governor and lieutenant governor have been elected on the same ticket; prior to then, they could be (and often were) members of different parties.[citation needed]

There have been 62 governors of Ohio, serving 68 distinct terms. The longest term was held by Frank J. Lausche, who was elected five times and served just under ten years. The shortest terms were held by John William Brown and Nancy Hollister, who each served 11 days after the governor preceding them resigned; the shortest-serving elected governor was John M. Pattison, who died in office five months into his term. The current governor is Ted Strickland, who took office on January 8 2007.

Governors

Samuel H. Huntington, 3rd Governor of Ohio
Thomas Corwin, 15th Governor of Ohio, and 20th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
Salmon P. Chase, 23rd Governor of Ohio, and 6th Chief Justice of the United States
Jacob Dolson Cox, 28th Governor of Ohio, and 10th U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Rutherford B. Hayes, 29th and 32nd Governor of Ohio, and 19th President of the United States
William McKinley, 39th Governor of Ohio, and 25th President of the United States
James M. Cox, 46th and 48th Governor of Ohio
Frank J. Lausche, 55th and 57th Governor of Ohio
Ted Strickland, 68th and current Governor of Ohio

Initially after the American Revolution, parts of the area now known as Ohio were claimed by New York, Virginia, and Connecticut; however, New York ceded its claim in 1782, Virginia in 1784, and Connecticut in 1786, though it maintained its Western Reserve in the area until 1800. On July 13, 1787, the Northwest Territory was formed. As territories were split from it, it eventually came to represent just present-day Ohio.

Governor of Northwest Territory

Throughout its 15-year history, Northwest Territory had only one governor. There was no Ohio Territory; Ohio is considered the successor state to the Northwest Territory.

# Picture Governor Appointed Left office Party Appointed by
1 Arthur St. Clair October 5 1787 November 22 1802[H] None Continental Congress[2]

Governors of Ohio

Ohio was admitted to the Union on March 1 1803. Since then, it has had 62 governors, six of whom served non-consecutive terms.

  Democratic-Republican   Federalist   National Republican   Democratic   Whig   Republican

# Name Took office Left office Party Lt. Governor[3] Terms[4]
1 Edward Tiffin March 3 1803 March 4 1807 Democratic-Republican None 1½[5]
2 Thomas Kirker March 4 1807 December 12 1808 Democratic-Republican None ½[6]
3 Samuel H. Huntington December 12 1808 December 8 1810 Democratic-Republican None 1[7]
4 Return J. Meigs, Jr. December 8 1810 March 24 1814 Democratic-Republican None 1½[8]
5 Othniel Looker March 24 1814 December 8 1814 Democratic-Republican None ½[6]
6 Thomas Worthington December 8 1814 December 14 1818 Democratic-Republican None 2
7 Ethan Allen Brown December 14 1818 January 4 1822 Democratic-Republican None 1½[5]
8 Allen Trimble January 4 1822 December 28 1822 Federalist None ½[6]
9 Jeremiah Morrow December 28 1822 December 19 1826 Democratic-Republican None 2
10 Allen Trimble December 19 1826 December 18 1830 Federalist None 2
11 Duncan McArthur December 18 1830 December 7 1832 National Republican None 1
12 Robert Lucas December 7 1832 December 12 1836 Democratic None 2
13 Joseph Vance December 12 1836 December 13 1838 Whig None 1
14 Wilson Shannon December 13 1838 December 16 1840 Democratic None 1
15 Thomas Corwin December 16 1840 December 14 1842 Whig None 1
16 Wilson Shannon December 14 1842 April 15 1844 Democratic None ½[9]
17 Thomas W. Bartley April 15 1844 December 3 1844 Democratic None ½[6]
18 Mordecai Bartley December 3 1844 December 12 1846 Whig None 1
19 William Bebb December 12 1846 January 22 1849 Whig None 1[10]
20 Seabury Ford January 22 1849 December 12 1850 Whig None 1[10]
21 Reuben Wood December 12 1850 July 13 1853 Democratic None 1½[11][12]
William Medill
22 William Medill July 13 1853 January 14 1856 Democratic James Myers 1½[13]
23 Salmon P. Chase January 14 1856 January 9 1860 Republican Thomas H. Ford 2
Martin Welker
24 William Dennison January 9 1860 January 13 1862 Republican Robert C. Kirk 1
25 David Tod January 4 1862 January 11 1864 Republican Benjamin Stanton 1
26 John Brough January 11 1864 August 29 1865 Republican Charles Anderson ½[14]
27 Charles Anderson August 29 1865 January 8 1866 Republican vacant ½[15]
28 Jacob Dolson Cox January 8 1866 January 13 1868 Republican Andrew McBurney 1
29 Rutherford B. Hayes January 13 1868 January 8 1872 Republican John C. Lee 2
30 Edward F. Noyes January 8 1872 January 12 1874 Republican Jacob Mueller 1
31 William Allen January 12 1874 January 10 1876 Democratic Alphonso Hart 1
32 Rutherford B. Hayes January 10 1876 March 2 1877 Republican Thomas L. Young ½[16]
33 Thomas L. Young March 2 1877 January 14 1878 Republican H. W. Curtiss (acting) ½[15]
34 Richard M. Bishop January 14 1878 January 12 1880 Democratic Jabez W. Fitch 1
35 Charles Foster January 12 1880 January 14 1884 Republican Andrew Hickenlooper 2
Reese G. Richards
36 George Hoadly January 14 1884 January 11 1886 Democratic John George Warwick 1
37 Joseph B. Foraker January 11 1886 January 13 1890 Republican Robert P. Kennedy 2
Silas A. Conrad
William C. Lyon
38 James E. Campbell January 13 1890 January 11 1892 Democratic Elbert L. Lampson 1
William V. Marquis
39 William McKinley January 11 1892 January 13 1896 Republican Andrew L. Harris 2
40 Asa S. Bushnell January 13 1896 January 8 1900 Republican Asa W. Jones 2
41 George K. Nash January 8 1900 January 11 1904 Republican John A. Caldwell 2
Carl L. Nippert
Harry L. Gordon
42 Myron T. Herrick January 11 1904 January 8 1906 Republican Warren G. Harding 1
43 John M. Pattison January 8 1906 June 18 1906 Democratic Andrew L. Harris ½[14][17]
44 Andrew L. Harris June 18 1906 January 11 1909 Republican vacant ½[15][17]
45 Judson Harmon January 11 1909 January 13 1913 Democratic Francis W. Treadway 2
Atlee Pomerene
Hugh L. Nichols
46 James M. Cox January 13 1913 January 11 1915 Democratic W. A. Greenlund 1
47 Frank B. Willis January 11 1915 January 8 1917 Republican John H. Arnold 1
48 James M. Cox January 8 1917 January 10 1921 Democratic Earl D. Bloom 2
Clarence J. Brown
49 Harry L. Davis January 10 1921 January 8 1923 Republican Clarence J. Brown 1
50 A. Victor Donahey January 8 1923 January 14 1929 Democratic Earl D. Bloom 3
Charles H. Lewis
Earl D. Bloom
William G. Pickrel
George C. Braden
51 Myers Y. Cooper January 14 1929 January 12 1931 Republican John T. Brown 1
52 George White January 12 1931 January 14 1935 Democratic William G. Pickrel 2
Charles W. Sawyer
53 Martin L. Davey January 14 1935 January 9 1939 Democratic Harold G. Mosier 2
Paul P. Yoder
54 John W. Bricker January 9 1939 January 8 1945 Republican Paul M. Herbert 3
55 Frank J. Lausche January 8 1945 January 13 1947 Democratic George D. Nye 1
56 Thomas J. Herbert January 13 1947 January 10 1949 Republican Paul M. Herbert 1
57 Frank J. Lausche January 10 1949 January 3 1957 Democratic George D. Nye 3½[5]
John William Brown
58 John William Brown January 3 1957 January 14 1957 Republican vacant ½[15]
59 C. William O'Neill January 14 1957 January 12 1959 Republican Paul M. Herbert 1
60 Michael DiSalle January 12 1959 January 14 1963 Democratic John W. Donahey 1
61 Jim Rhodes January 14 1963 January 11 1971 Republican John William Brown 2
62 John J. Gilligan January 11 1971 January 13 1975 Democratic John William Brown 1
63 Jim Rhodes January 13 1975 January 10 1983 Republican Dick Celeste 2
George Voinovich
vacant
64 Dick Celeste January 10 1983 January 14 1991 Democratic Myrl Shoemaker 2
vacant
Paul Leonard
65 George Voinovich January 14 1991 December 31 1998 Republican Mike DeWine 1½[5]
vacant
Nancy Hollister
66 Nancy Hollister December 31 1998 January 11 1999 Republican vacant ½[15]
67 Bob Taft January 11 1999 January 8 2007 Republican Maureen O'Connor 2
Jennette Bradley
Bruce Edward Johnson
vacant
68 Ted Strickland January 8 2007 incumbent Democratic Lee Fisher 1[18]

Notes

  1. ^ Table includes non-consecutive terms, and only includes state governors.
  2. ^ St. Clair was appointed governor by the Continental Congress; being governor of the first territory of the United States, he predated presidential appointments (and indeed the presidency itself).[I]
  3. ^ The office of lieutenant governor was not created until the 1851 Constitution, first being filled in 1852.
  4. ^ The fractional terms of some governors are not to be understood absolutely literally; rather, they are meant to show single terms during which multiple governors served, due to resignations, deaths and the like.
  5. ^ a b c d Resigned to take an elected seat in the United States Senate.
  6. ^ a b c d As speaker of the state senate, acted as governor for unexpired term.
  7. ^ The 1808 election was actually won by Return J. Meigs, Jr., but he was declared ineligible for office for failing the residency requirements.
  8. ^ Resigned to be U.S. Postmaster General.
  9. ^ Resigned to be Minister to Mexico.
  10. ^ a b William Bebb's term officially ended in December 1848. However, due to the large number of close elections that year, the general assembly was delayed in qualifying governor-elect Seabury Ford, and William Bebb remained in office for an extra few weeks.
  11. ^ Wood's first term was truncated to one year, due to the 1851 constitution moving elections one year back to odd-numbered years.
  12. ^ Resigned to be consul in Valparaíso, Chile.
  13. ^ As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term, and was later elected in his own right.
  14. ^ a b Died in office.
  15. ^ a b c d e As lieutenant governor, filled unexpired term.
  16. ^ Resigned to be President of the United States.
  17. ^ a b A 1905 amendment to the state constitution shifted elections forward one year, to take place on even years; thus, Pattison's term (and his replacement Harris's) was extended to three years.[J]
  18. ^ Governor Strickland's first term expires on January 10 2011; he is not yet term limited.

Other high offices held

This is a table of other governorships, congressional and other federal offices, and ranking diplomatic positions in foreign countries held by Ohio governors.[K] All representatives and senators mentioned represented Ohio. * denotes those offices which the governor resigned to take. † denotes those offices from which the governor resigned to take the governorship.

Name Gubernatorial term U.S. Congress Other offices held
House Senate
Arthur St. Clair
(territorial governor) 		1789–1802 President of the United States in Congress Assembled
Edward Tiffin 1803–1807 S*
Return J. Meigs, Jr. 1810–1814 S†[L] District Judge for Michigan Territory
Thomas Worthington 1814–1818 S†[M]
Ethan Allen Brown 1818–1822 S*
Jeremiah Morrow 1822–1826 H S
Duncan McArthur 1830–1832 H
Robert Lucas 1832–1836 Governor of Iowa Territory
Joseph Vance 1836–1838 H
Wilson Shannon 1838–1840
1842–1844 		H Minister to Mexico*, Governor of Kansas Territory
Thomas Corwin 1840–1842 H S Minister to Mexico, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
Mordecai Bartley 1844–1846 H
William Medill 1853–1856 H
Salmon P. Chase 1856–1860 S U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Chief Justice of the United States
William Dennison 1860–1862 U.S. Postmaster General
David Tod 1862–1864 Minister to Brazil
Jacob Dolson Cox 1866–1868 H U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Rutherford B. Hayes 1868–1872
1876–1877 		H President of the United States*
Edward F. Noyes 1872–1874 Minister to France
William Allen 1874–1876 H S
Thomas L. Young 1877–1878 H
Charles Foster 1880–1884 H U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
Joseph B. Foraker 1886–1890 S
James E. Campbell 1890–1892 H
William McKinley 1892–1896 H President of the United States
Myron T. Herrick 1904–1906 Ambassador to France
John M. Pattison 1906 H
Judson Harmon 1909–1913 U.S. Attorney General
James M. Cox 1913–1915
1917–1921 		H†[N]
Frank B. Willis 1915–1917 H†[O] S
A. Victor Donahey 1923–1929 S
George White 1931–1935 H
Martin L. Davey 1935–1939 H
John W. Bricker 1939–1945 S
Frank J. Lausche 1945–1947
1949–1957 		S*
John J. Gilligan 1971–1975 H
Dick Celeste 1983–1991 Ambassador to India
George Voinovich 1991–1998 S*
Ted Strickland 2007— H

Living former governors

As of May 2008, five former governors were alive, the oldest being John J. Gilligan (1971–1975, born 1921). The most recent governor to die was Jim Rhodes (1963–1971 and 1975–1983), on March 4 2001.

Name Gubernatorial term Date of birth
John J. Gilligan 1971–1975 March 22 1921
Dick Celeste 1983–1991 November 11 1937
George Voinovich 1991–1998 July 15 1936
Nancy Hollister 1998–1999 May 22 1949
Bob Taft 1999–2007 January 8 1942

See also

References

General
  • "Governors Database: Ohio". National Governors Association. National Governors Association. 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  • Ohio Governors from Ohio Public Library Information Network
  • "The Governors of Ohio, 1803-1971". Ohio Historical Society. 1969. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
Constitutions
Specific
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