List of presidents of the Ohio Senate explained

The president of the Ohio State Senate is the leader of the Ohio State Senate. Under Ohio's first constitution, in effect from 1803 to 1851, the presiding officer of the senate was called the speaker. Starting in 1851, when the second constitution took effect, a new office of lieutenant governor was created. The new position of lieutenant governor carried with it the office of president of the senate, and was nominally the presiding officer of the senate. During this time, the actual legislative leader of the senate majority was the president pro tempore of the Ohio Senate. In the 1970s, another change was made, which made the office of lieutenant governor elected jointly with the governor. At this time, the duty of presiding over the senate was removed from the lieutenant governor's portfolio and the majority party of the senate began electing its own president starting in 1979. The president is second in line to the office of the governor.

Speakers of the Ohio Senate, 1803–1851

TermNamePartyHome county
1803-03-01 – 1803-12-04Nathaniel MassieDemocratic-RepublicanRoss
1803-12-05 – 1805-02-21[1] Daniel SymmesDemocratic-RepublicanHamilton
1805-02-21 – 1806-11-30James PritchardDemocratic-RepublicanJefferson
1806-12-01 – 1809-12-03Thomas KirkerDemocratic-RepublicanAdams
1809-12-04 – 1810-12-02Duncan McArthurDemocratic-RepublicanRoss
1810-12-03 – 1813-12-05Thomas Kirker (2nd)Democratic-RepublicanAdams
1813-12-06 – 1814-12-04Othniel LookerDemocratic-RepublicanHamilton
1814-12-05 – 1815-12-03Thomas Kirker (3rd)Democratic-RepublicanAdams
1815-12-04 – 1816-12-01Peter HitchcockDemocratic-RepublicanGeauga
1816-12-02 – 1818-12-06Abraham ShepherdDemocratic-RepublicanAdams
1818-12-07 – 1819-12-05Robert LucasDemocratic-RepublicanPike
1819-12-06 – 1826-12-03Allen TrimbleNational RepublicanHighland
1826-12-04 – 1827-12-02Abraham Shepherd (2nd)DemocraticBrown
1827-12-03 – 1829-12-06Samuel WheelerNational RepublicanGeauga
1829-12-07 – 1830-12-05Robert Lucas (2nd)DemocraticPike
1830-12-06 – 1831-12-04Samuel R. MillerDemocraticHamilton
1831-12-05 – 1832-12-02William DohertyWhigFranklin
1832-12-03 – 1833-12-01Samuel R. Miller (2nd)DemocraticHamilton
1833-12-02 – 1834-11-30David T. DisneyDemocraticHamilton
1834-12-01 – 1835-03-06[2] Peter Hitchcock (2nd)WhigGeauga
1835-03-06 - 1835-06-07Charles AnthonyWhigClark
1835-06-08 - 1835-12-06David T. Disney (2nd)DemocraticHamilton
1835-12-07 – 1837-12-03Elijah VanceDemocraticButler
1837-12-04 – 1838-12-02George J. SmithWhigWarren
1838-12-03 – 1839-12-01William HawkinsDemocraticMorgan
1839-12-02 – 1841-12-05William McLaughlinDemocraticRichland
1841-12-06 – 1843-12-03James J. FaranDemocraticHamilton
1843-12-04 – 1844-12-01Thomas W. BartleyDemocraticRichland
1844-12-02 – 1845-11-30David ChambersWhigMuskingum
1845-12-01 – 1846-12-06Seabury FordWhigGeauga
1846-12-07 – 1847-12-05Edson B. OldsDemocraticPickaway
1847-12-06 – 1848-12-03Charles B. GoddardWhigMuskingum
1848-12-04 – 1849-12-02Brewster RandallFree SoilAshtabula
1849-12-03 – 1850-12-01Harrison G. O. BlakeWhigMedina
1850-12-02 – 1852-01-04Charles Cleveland ConversWhigMuskingum

Presidents pro tempore of the Ohio Senate, 1852–1978

(At this time, the nominal presiding officer of the senate was the Lieutenant Governor of Ohio.)

TermNamePartyHome county
1852-01-05 – 1854-01-01Joel W. Wilson
George Rex
DemocraticSandusky
Wayne
1854-01-02 – 1856-01-06Robert J. AtkinsonDemocraticCarroll
1856-01-07 – 1858-01-03Robert Walker TaylerRepublicanTrumbull
1858-01-04 – 1860-01-01Edward M. PhelpsDemocraticDefiance
1860-01-02 – 1862-01-05Richard A. HarrisonRepublicanMadison
1862-01-06 – 1864-01-03James MonroeRepublicanLorain
1864-01-04 – 1865-12-31Samuel HumphrevilleRepublicanMedina
1866-01-01 – 1868-01-05H. S. MartinRepublicanStark
1868-01-06 – 1870-01-02Thomas J. GodfreyDemocraticMercer
1870-01-03 – 1871-12-31Samuel Furman HuntDemocraticHamilton
1872-01-01 – 1874-01-04Allen T. BrinsmadeRepublicanCuyahoga
1874-01-05 – 1876-01-02Emery D. PotterDemocraticLucas
1876-01-03 – 1878-01-06H. W. CurtissRepublicanCuyahoga
1878-01-07 – 1880-01-03James W. OwensDemocraticLicking
1880-01-04 – 1882-01-01Rees G. RichardsRepublicanJefferson
1882-01-02 – 1884-01-06Roland A. HorrRepublicanLorain
1884-01-07 – 1886-01-03Elmer WhiteDemocraticDefiance
1886-01-04 – 1888-01-01 Democratic
Republican
Muskingum
Stark
1888-01-02 – 1890-01-05 RepublicanWashington
1890-01-06 – 1892-01-03 DemocraticSeneca
1892-01-04 – 1894-01-02 RepublicanAshtabula
1894-01-03 – 1896-01-05Thomas H. McConicaRepublicanHancock
1896-01-06 – 1898-01-02John C. HutsinpillerRepublicanGallia
1898-01-03 – 1899-12-31Thaddeus E. CromleyDemocraticPickaway
1900-01-01 – 1902-01-05Oscar SheppardRepublicanPreble
1902-01-06 – 1904-01-03Frank B. ArcherRepublicanBelmont
1904-01-04 – 1905-12-31George Henry ChamberlainRepublicanLorain
1906-01-01 – 1909-01-03James M. WilliamsDemocraticCuyahoga
1909-01-04 – 1911-01-01Nation O. MatherRepublicanSummit
1911-01-02 – 1915-01-03William GreenDemocraticCoshocton
1915-01-04 – 1916-12-31Charles John HowardRepublicanBelmont
1917-01-01 – 1919-01-05J. H. MillerDemocraticLicking
1919-01-06 – 1922-12-31Frank E. WhittemoreRepublicanSummit
1923-01-01 – 1925-01-04George E. KryderRepublicanHenry
1925-01-05 – 1927-01-02Joseph R. GardnerRepublicanHamilton
1927-01-03 – 1929-01-06Chester C. BoltonRepublicanCuyahoga
1929-01-07 – 1931-01-04Allan G. AiglerRepublicanSandusky
1931-01-05 – 1933-01-01Earl R. LewisRepublicanBelmont
1933-01-02 – 1935-01-06D. H. DeArmondDemocraticHamilton
1935-01-07 – 1937-01-03Paul P. YoderDemocraticMontgomery
1937-01-04 – 1939-01-01Keith LawrenceDemocraticCuyahoga
1939-01-02 – 1949-01-02Frank E. Whittemore (2nd)RepublicanSummit
1949-01-03 – 1950-12-31Margaret A. MahoneyDemocraticCuyahoga
1951-01-01 – 1953-01-04Roscoe R. WalcuttRepublicanFranklin
1953-01-05 – 1959-01-04C. Stanley MechemRepublicanAthens
1959-01-05 – 1961-01-01Frank W. KingDemocraticLucas
1961-01-02 – 1965-01-03C. Stanley Mechem (2nd)RepublicanAthens
1965-01-04 – 1975-01-05Theodore M. GrayRepublicanMiami
1975-01-06 – 1979-01-01Oliver R. OcasekDemocraticSummit

Presidents of the Ohio Senate, 1979–present

Term Name Party Home county District
1979 – 1981Oliver R. OcasekDemocraticSummit27th
1981 – 1983Paul E. GillmorRepublicanOttawa2nd
1983 – 1985Harry MeshelDemocraticMahoning33rd
1985 – 1989Paul E. Gillmor (2nd)RepublicanOttawa2nd
1989 – 1997Stanley J. AronoffRepublicanHamilton8th
1997 – 2003Richard FinanRepublicanHamilton7th
2003 – 2005Doug WhiteRepublicanAdams14th
2005 – 2011Bill HarrisRepublicanAshland19th
2011 – 2013Tom NiehausRepublicanClermont14th
2013 – 2017Keith FaberRepublicanMercer12th
2017 – 2020Larry ObhofRepublicanMedina22nd
2021 – PresentMatt HuffmanRepublicanAllen12th

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Book: Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 ... . William Alexander . Taylor . Aubrey Clarence . Taylor . 1899 . State of Ohio . 42 . - Symmes resigned February 21, 1805, and was replaced by Pritchard
  2. Hitchcock resigned March 6th, 1835 and was replaced by Charles Anthony of Clark County, sources:
    Book: Ohio General Assembly . Manual of legislative practice in the General Assembly . Ohio General Assembly . 230 . 1917 . State of Ohio . and
    Book: Bell, William Jr. . Annual report of the Secretary of State to the Governor and General Assembly for the year 1875... . . 1876 . 66 . William Bell Jr. (politician).