© 2007 The Ohio Secretary of State & The Ohio Public Library Information Network
 

Marcus Hanna 1873-1904
Born in New Lisbon (now Lisbon), Marcus Hanna’s career thrived during the era of political party bosses. As a leader of the Ohio Republican Party, Hanna was instrumental in William McKinley’s election as governor in 1891. A few years later, as chairman of the Republican National Committee, he pushed Republicans to nominate McKinley as the party’s presidential candidate and then personally crafted a campaign strategy that elevated McKinley to the presidency. In turn, McKinley appointed Hanna as Senator from Ohio in 1897, a seat to which he was subsequently elected. Active in politics until his death, Hanna’s political acumen reflected his belief in unifying business and politics for the sake of economic policy.

Florence Allen 1884-1966
Florence Allen was a true pioneer in the women’s movement. Born in Utah, she earned both B.A. and M.A. degrees from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, her adopted hometown. Following law school at Chicago and New York universities, she practiced law in Cleveland and was elected judge of the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1922 – the first woman to sit on that court. In 1934, she was appointed to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals – the first woman to hold a position at that judicial level as well. Allen was highly respected as a judge and as a person and was a strong advocate of women’s rights throughout her life.

Buckeye

Robert Alphonso Taft 1889-1953
The son of President William Howard Taft, Robert A. Taft was born in Cincinnati and, early in his life, dedicated himself to public service. He served from 1921-1926 and 1931-1932 in the Ohio Legislature and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1938. As a Republican leader in the Senate, Taft was known as a conservative and an isolationist. His stamp is forever fixed on a piece of legislation that remains relevant almost 70 years later – the Taft-Hartley Labor Management Act which tightened restrictions on labor unions. A leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 1952, Taft lost the nomination to Dwight D. Eisenhower. Following Eisenhower’s election, however, Taft became Senate majority leader and, until his death, was an influential advisor to the president.

1934 - The first state sales tax is imposed at 3 percent.

1937 - The Ohio River floods, leaving 750,000 people homeless.

1941 - U.S. enters World War II; about 20,000 Ohio servicemen will be killed.