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 county1803-03-01 – 1803-12-04Nathaniel Massie Democratic-RepublicanRoss1803-12-05 – 1805-02-21 - Symmes resigned February 21, 1805, and was replaced by PritchardDaniel Symmes Democratic-RepublicanHamilton1805-02-21 – 1806-11-30James Pritchard Democratic-RepublicanJefferson1806-12-01 – 1809-12-03Thomas Kirker Democratic-RepublicanAdams1809-12-04 – 1810-12-02Duncan McArthur Democratic-RepublicanRoss1810-12-03 – 1813-12-05Thomas Kirker (2nd) Democratic-RepublicanAdams1813-12-06 – 1814-12-04Othniel Looker Democratic-RepublicanHamilton1814-12-05 – 1815-12-03Thomas Kirker (3rd) Democratic-RepublicanAdams1815-12-04 – 1816-12-01Peter Hitchcock Democratic-RepublicanGeauga1816-12-02 – 1818-12-06Abraham Shepherd Democratic-RepublicanAdams1818-12-07 – 1819-12-05Robert Lucas Democratic-RepublicanPike1819-12-06 – 1826-12-03Allen Trimble National RepublicanHighland1826-12-04 – 1827-12-02Abraham Shepherd (2nd) DemocraticBrown1827-12-03 – 1829-12-06Samuel Wheeler National RepublicanGeauga1829-12-07 – 1830-12-05Robert Lucas (2nd) DemocraticPike1830-12-06 – 1831-12-04Samuel R. Miller DemocraticHamilton1831-12-05 – 1832-12-02William Doherty WhigFranklin1832-12-03 – 1833-12-01Samuel R. Miller (2nd) DemocraticHamilton1833-12-02 – 1834-11-30David T. Disney DemocraticHamilton1834-12-01 – 1835-03-06Hitchcock resigned March 6th, 1835 and was replaced by Charles Anthony of Clark County, sources: and Peter Hitchcock (2nd) WhigGeauga 1835-03-06 - 1835-06-07Charles Anthony WhigClark1835-06-08 - 1835-12-06David T. Disney (2nd) DemocraticHamilton1835-12-07 – 1837-12-03Elijah Vance DemocraticButler1837-12-04 – 1838-12-02George J. Smith WhigWarren1838-12-03 – 1839-12-01William Hawkins DemocraticMorgan1839-12-02 – 1841-12-05William McLaughlin DemocraticRichland1841-12-06 – 1843-12-03James J. Faran DemocraticHamilton1843-12-04 – 1844-12-01Thomas W. Bartley DemocraticRichland1844-12-02 – 1845-11-30David Chambers WhigMuskingum1845-12-01 – 1846-12-06Seabury Ford WhigGeauga1846-12-07 – 1847-12-05Edson B. Olds DemocraticPickaway1847-12-06 – 1848-12-03Charles B. Goddard WhigMuskingum1848-12-04 – 1849-12-02Brewster Randall Free SoilAshtabula1849-12-03 – 1850-12-01Harrison G. O. Blake WhigMedina1850-12-02 – 1852-01-04Charles Cleveland Convers WhigMuskingum
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 county1852-01-05 – 1854-01-01Joel W. WilsonGeorge Rex DemocraticSanduskyWayne1854-01-02 – 1856-01-06Robert J. Atkinson DemocraticCarroll1856-01-07 – 1858-01-03Robert Walker Tayler RepublicanTrumbull1858-01-04 – 1860-01-01Edward M. Phelps DemocraticDefiance1860-01-02 – 1862-01-05Richard A. Harrison RepublicanMadison1862-01-06 – 1864-01-03James Monroe RepublicanLorain1864-01-04 – 1865-12-31Samuel Humphreville RepublicanMedina1866-01-01 – 1868-01-05H. S. Martin RepublicanStark1868-01-06 – 1870-01-02Thomas J. Godfrey DemocraticMercer1870-01-03 – 1871-12-31Samuel Furman Hunt DemocraticHamilton1872-01-01 – 1874-01-04Allen T. Brinsmade RepublicanCuyahoga1874-01-05 – 1876-01-02Emery D. Potter DemocraticLucas1876-01-03 – 1878-01-06H. W. Curtiss RepublicanCuyahoga1878-01-07 – 1880-01-03James W. Owens DemocraticLicking1880-01-04 – 1882-01-01Rees G. Richards RepublicanJefferson1882-01-02 – 1884-01-06Roland A. Horr RepublicanLorain1884-01-07 – 1886-01-03Elmer White DemocraticDefiance 1886-01-04 – 1888-01-01 John O'NeillSilas A. Conrad DemocraticRepublican MuskingumStark 1888-01-02 – 1890-01-05 Theodore F. Davis Republican Washington 1890-01-06 – 1892-01-03 Perry M. Adams Democratic Seneca 1892-01-04 – 1894-01-02 Elbert L. Lampson Republican Ashtabula1894-01-03 – 1896-01-05Thomas H. McConica RepublicanHancock1896-01-06 – 1898-01-02John C. Hutsinpiller RepublicanGallia1898-01-03 – 1899-12-31Thaddeus E. Cromley DemocraticPickaway1900-01-01 – 1902-01-05Oscar Sheppard RepublicanPreble1902-01-06 – 1904-01-03Frank B. Archer RepublicanBelmont1904-01-04 – 1905-12-31George Henry Chamberlain RepublicanLorain1906-01-01 – 1909-01-03James M. Williams DemocraticCuyahoga1909-01-04 – 1911-01-01Nation O. Mather RepublicanSummit1911-01-02 – 1915-01-03William Green DemocraticCoshocton1915-01-04 – 1916-12-31Charles John Howard RepublicanBelmont1917-01-01 – 1919-01-05J. H. Miller DemocraticLicking1919-01-06 – 1922-12-31Frank E. Whittemore RepublicanSummit1923-01-01 – 1925-01-04George E. Kryder RepublicanHenry1925-01-05 – 1927-01-02Joseph R. Gardner RepublicanHamilton1927-01-03 – 1929-01-06Chester C. Bolton RepublicanCuyahoga1929-01-07 – 1931-01-04Allan G. Aigler RepublicanSandusky1931-01-05 – 1933-01-01Earl R. Lewis RepublicanBelmont1933-01-02 – 1935-01-06D. H. DeArmond DemocraticHamilton1935-01-07 – 1937-01-03Paul P. Yoder DemocraticMontgomery1937-01-04 – 1939-01-01Keith Lawrence DemocraticCuyahoga1939-01-02 – 1949-01-02Frank E. Whittemore (2nd) RepublicanSummit1949-01-03 – 1950-12-31Margaret A. Mahoney DemocraticCuyahoga1951-01-01 – 1953-01-04Roscoe R. Walcutt RepublicanFranklin1953-01-05 – 1959-01-04C. Stanley Mechem RepublicanAthens1959-01-05 – 1961-01-01Frank W. King DemocraticLucas1961-01-02 – 1965-01-03C. Stanley Mechem (2nd) RepublicanAthens1965-01-04 – 1975-01-05Theodore M. Gray RepublicanMiami1975-01-06 – 1979-01-01Oliver R. Ocasek DemocraticSummit
Presidents of the Ohio Senate, 1979–present
Term Name Party Home county District 1979 – 1981Oliver R. Ocasek DemocraticSummit 27th1981 – 1983Paul E. Gillmor RepublicanOttawa 2nd1983 – 1985Harry Meshel DemocraticMahoning 33rd1985 – 1989Paul E. Gillmor (2nd) RepublicanOttawa 2nd1989 – 1997Stanley J. Aronoff RepublicanHamilton 8th1997 – 2003Richard Finan RepublicanHamilton 7th2003 – 2005Doug White RepublicanAdams 14th2005 – 2011Bill Harris RepublicanAshland 19th 2011 – 2013Tom Niehaus RepublicanClermont 14th 2013 – 2017Keith Faber RepublicanMercer 12th 2017 – 2020Larry Obhof RepublicanMedina 22nd2021 – 2025Matt Huffman RepublicanAllen 12th2025 – PresentRob McColley RepublicanHenry 1st
See also List of Ohio state legislatures
References
- pre-1874 party affiliations