Oliver Ocasek

Oliver Robert Ocasek (November 2, 1925 – June 25, 1999) was an American politician of the Democratic party who served as President of the Ohio State Senate from 1979–1981 and serving as Senator from Summit County and the Twenty Seventh District from 1959 until 1986.

A former high school principal, he won election over the incumbent Senator Fred Danner in 1958, and again defeated Danner to hold his seat in 1960.^[1] In 1962, Ocasek opted to run for Congress against Congressman William H. Ayres, but lost. He again unsuccessfully challenged Ayres in 1968.

When Democrats took the majority in the Senate in 1974, Ocasek was elected as President pro tempore after serving in lesser leadership roles for a number of years.^[2] In 1979, with the Ohio Constitution revised to allow for the majority leader of the Senate to now preside, Ocasek was sworn in as the first President of the Ohio Senate to also be a sitting Senator.^[3] However, when Democrats lost the majority in 1980, Ocasek was replaced as the top Senate Democrat by Harry Meshel.

In 1986, Ocasek announced that he would seek election to Congress instead of running for another term in the Senate. Facing Thomas C. Sawyer in the primary, he lost the election. As a result, he had relinquished his Senate seat, and was replaced by Roy Ray in 1987. He went on to teach at the University of Akron and Kent State University in his retirement.^[4] In 1992, he won a seat on the Ohio School Board, serving on the board until 1998. Citing health difficulties, Ocasek did not seek reelection in 1998. He died from complications of cancer on June 25, 1999.^[5]

See also:

• Election Results, U.S. Representative from Ohio, 14th District

References