The
Governor of the State of Ohio is the head of the
executive branch of
Ohio's governmentPA Constitution article III, § 5 and the
commander-in-chief of the
state's military forces.PA Constitution article III, § 10 The governor has a duty to enforce state laws; the power to either approve or
veto bills passed by the
Ohio Legislature;PA Constitution article III, § 16 the power to convene the legislature;PA Constitution article III, § 8 and the power to grant
pardons, except in cases of
treason and
impeachment.Ohio Constitution article III § 11
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 preceding governor 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
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.
Governors of the State 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.
The first constitution of 1802 allowed governors to serve for two years, limited to six of any eight years, commencing on the first Monday in the December following an election.Ohio Constitution article II, § 3 The current constitution of 1851 removed the
term limit, and shifted the start of the term to the second Monday in January following an election. In 1908, Ohio switched from holding elections in odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, with the preceding governor (from the 1905 election) serving an extra year. A 1957 amendment 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.Ohio Constitution article III, § 2 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.
Should the office of governor become vacant due to death, resignation, or conviction of impeachment, the
lieutenant governor assumes the title of governor. Should the office of lieutenant governor also become vacant, the
president of the senate becomes the
acting governor.Ohio Constitution article III, § 15 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.Ohio Constitution article III, § 17 Prior to 1851, the
speaker of the senate acted as governor for the term.Ohio Constitution article II, § 12 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.
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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. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Ohio.
Living former governors
, five former governors are 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.
See also
Notes
References
;General
;Constitutions
;Specific