Othniel Looker

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Othniel Looker[1] (October 4, 1757 - July 23, 1845) was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served briefly as the 5th Governor of Ohio.

[edit] Early life

Looker was born on Long Island. He moved with his mother to Hanover, New Jersey after the death of his father. He enlisted with the New Jersey militia in 1776 and served out the remainder of the war as a Private. Looker moved to Vermont and then to New York, working as a school-teacher.

[edit] Later life

He served in the New York State Assembly from 1803-1804. After receiving a land grant for his war services, Looker moved to Harrison (Hamilton County), Ohio in 1804, and served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1807-1810. He served in the Ohio State Senate from 1810-1817. While serving as Speaker of the Senate from 1813-1814, Looker was concurrently elevated to the governorship after Governor Return J. Meigs, Jr. resigned to become Postmaster General. Looker sought re-election but was badly defeated by the far more well-known Thomas Worthington. He continued to live in Ohio until his wife's death, and later moved to Palestine, Illinois to be with his daughter Rachel Kitchell, and is buried there in Kitchell Cemetery.

The Village Historical Society in Harrison, Ohio, has restored the home of Ohio Governor Othniel Looker. The Othniel Looker House is now open to the public, free of admission, on a few dates during the year, and special tours can be arranged for school groups. The Othniel Looker House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Thomas Kirker
Speaker of the Ohio Senate
1813-12-061814-12-04
Succeeded by
Thomas Kirker
Preceded by
Return J. Meigs, Jr.
Governor of Ohio
1814-03-241814-12-08
Succeeded by
Thomas Worthington
Ohio House of Representatives
Preceded by
John Jones
Hezekiah Price
Ethan Stone
Representative from Hamilton County
1807–1810
Served alongside: Zebulon Foster, John Jones (1807–1808)
James Clark, William Perry (1808–1809)
James Clark, William Ludlow (1809–1810)
Succeeded by
Peter Bell
John Jones
Samuel McHenry
Ohio Senate
Preceded by
Hezekiah Price
Stephen Wood
Senator from Hamilton County
1810–1812
Served alongside: Aaron Goforth, Elnathan Stone, Stephen Wood
Succeeded by
John Jones
Francis McCormick
Preceded by
John Jones
Francis McCormick
Senator from Hamilton County
1813–1817
Served alongside: Ephraim Brown (1816–1817), John Jones (1813–1816)
Succeeded by
Ephraim Brown
George P. Torrence
Languages