John W. Bricker
John Bricker | |
|---|---|
 Bricker in 1944 | |
| United States Senator from Ohio | |
| In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1959 | |
| Preceded by | Kingsley A. Taft |
| Succeeded by | Stephen M. Young |
| 54th Governor of Ohio | |
| In office January 9, 1939 – January 8, 1945 | |
| Lieutenant | Paul M. Herbert |
| Preceded by | Martin L. Davey |
| Succeeded by | Frank Lausche |
| 32nd Attorney General of Ohio | |
| In office January 9, 1933 – January 11, 1937 | |
| Governor | George White Martin L. Davey |
| Preceded by | Gilbert Bettman |
| Succeeded by | Herbert S. Duffy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John William Bricker September 6, 1893 Mount Sterling, Ohio |
| Died | March 22, 1986 (aged 92) Columbus, Ohio |
| Resting place | Green Lawn Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Harriet Day
(m. 1920; died 1985) |
| Alma mater | Ohio State University (BA, LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917-1918 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
John William Bricker (September 6, 1893 – March 22, 1986) was an American politician and attorney who served as a
.Born in Madison County, Ohio, Bricker attended Ohio State University and began a legal practice in Columbus, Ohio. He also served in the United States Army during World War I. He held various public offices between 1920 and 1937, including the position of Ohio Attorney General. Bricker served three terms as Governor of Ohio from 1939 to 1945. Bricker was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1944.[1] He was Thomas E. Dewey's running mate on the Republican ticket in the 1944 election, campaigning against the New Deal and President Franklin D. Roosevelt's judicial nominees. The Republican ticket was defeated by the Democratic ticket of Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.
Bricker won election to the Senate in 1946. He introduced the Bricker Amendment, which would have limited the president's power to make treaties. Though the Bricker Amendment received support from some members of both parties, it was not passed by Congress. Bricker won re-election in 1952 but was narrowly defeated by Stephen M. Young in 1958. After leaving office, Bricker resumed the practice of law and died in 1986.
Early life and education
Bricker was born on a farm near Mount Sterling in Madison County in south central Ohio. He was the son of Laura (née King) and Lemuel Spencer Bricker.[2] He attended Ohio State University at Columbus, where he divided his time between the debating team, the varsity baseball team,[3] and the Delta Chi Fraternity. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio State in 1916 and from its law school in 1920, he was admitted to the bar in 1917 and began his legal practice in Columbus in 1920.[4]
Public service
During
He was elected governor for three two-year terms, serving from 1939 to 1945, each time winning with a greater margin of victory.[3] Bricker espoused a stance against centralized government, preferring to increase involvement in state and local governments, and made this known in his inaugural address as Governor:
There must be a revitalization of state and local governments throughout the nation. The individual citizen must again be conscious of his responsibility to his government and alert to the preservation of his rights as a citizen under it. That cannot be done by taking government further away, but by keeping it at home.
— John W. Bricker, inaugural gubernatorial address, January 9, 1939.[3]
Bricker was the
In 1946, Bricker was elected to the United States Senate. He was re-elected in 1952, serving from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1959.
Governor Dewey was the Republican presidential nominee again in 1948, but Senator Bricker was not his running mate. Dewey chose instead
Bricker's Senate service is best remembered for his attempts to amend the
On July 12, 1947, a former Capitol police officer, William Louis Kaiser, fired shots at Senator Bricker as he boarded the underground subway from the Senate office building to the Capitol. The two shots, fired at close range, narrowly missed their target.[7] Kaiser stated he was "trying to refresh" Bricker's memory. Kaiser had served on the police force as a protege of Bricker's predecessor in the Senate and had complained of losing substantial money on Columbus real estate. An investigation concluded that Kaiser may have fired blanks or else purposely missed Bricker.[8]
Bricker voted in favor of the
Professional life and death
 |
In 1945, Bricker founded the Columbus law firm now known as
He was married to the former Harriet Day.
After leaving the Senate, John Bricker resumed the practice of law. He died in Columbus on March 22, 1986, at the age of 92 and is interred at
Miscellaneous
- Bricker Hall on the Ohio State University campus is named for him. The building currently serves as the home of many of the university administrative units, including the Office of the Board of Trustees and President. Bricker was a member of the OSU Board of Trustees from 1948 to 1969.[10]
- The Bricker Building at the Ohio Expo Center (site of the annual Ohio State Fair and many other events) is named for him.
- The John W. Bricker Federal Buildingin downtown Columbus is named for him.
- In Philip K. Dick's 1962 novel The Man in the High Castle, set in an alternate timeline, Bricker succeeded John Nance Garner as the 33rd President of the United States in 1940.
- Bricker intervened in the 1956 deportation of Dr. Peter Tchen, father of Tina Tchen, former Time's Up CEO and Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama, by introducing a bill to grant him permanent residency.[11]
References
- ^ "John Kasich could learn from last Ohio governor to seek presidency". cleveland. July 24, 2015.
- ^ Lawrence Kestenbaum. "Optimist Club, politicians". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ a b c "Ohio Fundamental Documents: John Bricker".
- ^ "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress - Retro Search". bioguideretro.congress.gov.
- ISBN 978-0-253-35683-3
- ^ a b David Jordan, p. 295
- ^ Former Capitol Policeman Shoots at Senator (2012-01-04). "Former Capitol Policeman Shoots at Senator". Ghosts of DC. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
- ^ Tom (2013-06-06). "Former Capitol Policeman Shoots at Senator". Ghosts of DC. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
- ^ "HR. 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957". GovTrack.us.
- ^ "Campus Connections, Bricker Hall" (PDF). The Ohio State University, Physical Facilities. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 2, 2006. Retrieved October 28, 2006.
- ^ "Peter Tchen 22 Mar 1956". The Newark Advocate. 22 March 1956. p. 8.
External links
- Former Capitol Policeman Shoots at Senator - Ghosts of DC blog
- John Bricker Oral History finding aid, Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
- United States Congress. "John W. Bricker (id: B000820)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Grave
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
