Harry Meshel
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Harry Meshel (born 1924 in Youngstown, Ohio, USA) was an American politician of Greek descent of the Ohio Democratic party who served as a member of the Ohio State Senate.
Meshel worked in a steel mill in his youth. During the Second World War, Meshel seved in the United States Navy. After the war, Meshel earned a bachelor's degree in business from Youngstown State University and a master's degree in urban land economics from Columbia University.
Meshel became an instructor at his alma mater and worked in an investment firm.
In 1964, Meshel started working for the mayor of Youngstown. In 1969, he became director of urban renewal for Youngstown.
Meshel entered electoral politics in 1970, when he ran for a seat in the Ohio State Senate. In 1975, Meshel became the Senate's majority whip and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
In 1980, he ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives but lost to Republican incumbent Lyle Williams.
That same year, the Democrats lost the majority in the state Senate and Meshel replaced Oliver Ocasek, who had been president of the Ohio Senate, as the party's leader in the senate.
In 1982, the Democrats regained the majority, and Meshel became president of the Senate, even though Ocasek had threatened to switch parties in order to prevent his rival's ascendance. By the time he reached this position, however, Meshel's relationship with newly elected Gov. Richard F. Celeste and House Speaker Vernal G. Riffe Jr. was not good and Meshel's reputation as a legislative leader was damaged.
Two years later, in 1984, the Republicans again won the majority in the Senate and Meshel became minority leader again -- Paul E. Gillmor became the Senate president. By this time, many in the Democratic party began to blame Meshel's combative public persona and neglect of candidate recruitment and campaign spending for the loss.
Meshel was chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party until 1995. He currently works as a lobbyist.
