John W. Bricker

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John William Bricker (1893-1986)
John William Bricker (1893-1986)

John William Bricker (September 6, 1893 – March 22, 1986) was a United States Senator and Governor of Ohio. He was a member of the Republican Party.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Bricker was born on a farm near Mount Sterling, Ohio. He attended The Ohio State University at Columbus, where he divided his time between the debating team and the varsity baseball team.[1] After graduating with a B.A. from Ohio State in 1916[2] and from its law department in 1920, he was admitted to the bar in 1917 and commenced practice in Columbus, Ohio in 1920.

He was married to the former Harriet Day.

[edit] Public service

During World War I, Bricker served as first lieutenant and chaplain in the United States Army in 1917 and 1918. He subsequently served as solicitor for Grandview Heights, Ohio from 1920 to 1928, Assistant Attorney General of Ohio from 1923 to 1927, a member of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio from 1929 to 1932 and Attorney General of Ohio from 1933 to 1937.

He was elected Governor of Ohio for three two-year terms, serving from 1939 to 1945, each time winning with a greater margin of victory[1]. 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[1].

Bricker was the Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1944, sharing the unsuccessful ticket with Presidential nominee Thomas Dewey, which lost to Franklin D. Roosevelt[2]. He was then elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1946 and re-elected in 1952, serving from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1959.

His Senate service is best remembered for his attempts to amend the United States Constitution to limit the President's treaty-making powers (the Bricker Amendment). He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1958. He was the chairman of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce during the 83rd Congress.

[edit] Professional life

In 1945, Bricker founded the Columbus, Ohio law firm now known as Bricker & Eckler, LLP

After leaving the Senate, Bricker resumed the practice of law. He died in Columbus at the age of 92.

[edit] Miscellaneous

  • On The Ohio State University campus in Columbus, the Bricker Hall building was named after Bricker. The building currently serves as the home of the Department of Sociology. Bricker was a member of the OSU Board of Trustees from 1948 to 1969[3].
  • In his 1947 book, Inside U.S.A, journalist John Gunther described how he saw Bricker's mind: "Intellectually he is like interstellar space—a vast vacuum occasionally crossed by homeless, wandering clichés."[4]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c Ohio Fundamental Documents: John Bricker
  2. ^ a b History of Bricker & Eckler.
  3. ^ Campus Connections, Bricker Hall. The Ohio State University, Physical Facilities. Retrieved on October 28, 2006.
  4. ^ Gunther, John. Inside U.S.A.. New York : Curtis, 1947. 436.

This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Preceded by
Gilbert Bettman		 Ohio Attorney General
1933 – 1937		 Succeeded by
Herbert S. Duffy
Preceded by
Martin L. Davey		 Governor of Ohio
1939 – 1945		 Succeeded by
Frank J. Lausche
Preceded by
Charles L. McNary		 Republican Party Vice Presidential candidate
1944 (lost)		 Succeeded by
Earl Warren
Preceded by
Kingsley A. Taft		 United States Senator (Class 1) from Ohio
1947 – 1959		 Succeeded by
Stephen M. Young
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