| Eric Fingerhut | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Ohio Senate from the 25th district |
|
| In office January 5, 1999-December 31, 2006 |
|
| Preceded by | Judy Sheerer |
| Succeeded by | Lance Mason |
| In office January 3, 1991-December 12, 1992 |
|
| Preceded by | Lee Fisher |
| Succeeded by | Judy Sheerer |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
Eric David Fingerhut (b. May 6, 1959, in University Heights, Ohio) is an American politician of the Ohio Democratic party. Fingerhut was appointed the Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents on March 14, 2007 by Governor Ted Strickland.[1] This position makes him a member of the Ohio Governor's Cabinet.[2] On February 22, 2011, he submitted his resignation to the Governor of Ohio John Kasich to take effect from March 14, 2011, at the end of four years since he started as Chancellor and a year before the end of his five-year term.
Fingerhut received a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University in 1981 and a law degree from Stanford University in 1984. He practiced law at Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP in Cleveland until becoming associate director of Cleveland Works, a post he served in from 1987 to 1989. Fingerhut served as the campaign manager for then candidate for Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White and then became the director of his transition team.
Fingerhut served as an Ohio state senator from 1991 to 1993. In 1992, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 19th congressional district and began serving in 1993 (103rd Congress). In his re-election bid in 1994, however, Fingerhut was defeated by Lake County Prosecutor Steve LaTourette.
After his defeat in Congress, Fingerhut easily won a seat again in the Ohio Senate, representing district 25. He served two full terms from 1999 through 2007, retiring due to term limits.
In 2004, he became the Democratic nominee to try to unseat incumbent U.S. Senator George Voinovich, although his candidacy was overshadowed by speculation that TV show host and one time mayor of Cincinnati Jerry Springer might enter the race. Fingerhut went on to lose to Voinovich on November 2, 2004, garnering less than 40 percent of the vote. Fingerhut was particularly hampered by the fact that Voinovich is himself from Cleveland, where he had once been Mayor, significantly cutting into Fingerhut's base in normally Democratic northeastern Ohio.
In January 2006, Fingerhut announced his candidacy for governor of Ohio, joining U.S. Representative Ted Strickland who was also seeking the post. On February 14, 2006 Fingerhut dropped out of the race, citing his inability to raise the funds and support from the same sources that Congressman Ted Strickland's running mate Lee Fisher derived.
Fingerhut, who also worked as a consultant for the Cleveland Federation of Community Planning while in the Ohio Senate, served as the head of the Entrepreneurship program on the Business Administration faculty of Baldwin-Wallace College before his appointment as State Chancellor of Higher Education in the Cabinet of Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.
In April 2011, Strickland reportedly leaked Fingerhut's name as a candidate for the presidency of the University of Kentucky.[3] Eli Capilouto was ultimately chosen for the vacancy.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ed Feighan |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 19th congressional district 1993–1995 |
Succeeded by Steve LaTourette |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Mary Boyle |
Democratic Nominee for the U.S. Senate (Class 3) from Ohio 2004 |
Succeeded by Lee Fisher |