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Ohio
Gov. George V. Voinovich
- January 14, 1991 - December 31, 1998
- Republican
- January 15, 1936
- June 12, 2016
- Ohio
- Ohio University; Ohio State University School of Law
- Married Janet Allan; three children
- Resigned, NGA Chair
- Senator
About
GEORGE V. VOINOVICH was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University in 1958 and a law degree from Ohio State University College of Law in 1961. He was Assistant Attorney General of Ohio from 1963 to 1964, a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1967 to 1971, Cuyahoga County Auditor from 1971 to 1976, and a Cuyahoga County Commissioner from 1977 to 1978. He then served briefly as Lieutenant Governor before becoming Mayor of Cleveland, a position that he held for ten years. While Mayor, he served as a trustee for the U.S. Conference of Mayors and as a board member and President of the National League of Cities. He went on to win election to two terms as governor. During his tenure as governor, Voinovich chaired the Council of Great Lakes Governors, the Midwestern Governors Association, the Republican Governors Association, and the National Governors Association. He focused on curbing state spending and holding budgetary growth in Ohio, while establishing a rainy-day fund and reducing taxes a total of $24 billion. He also led the movement toward welfare independence, with the result that more than 362,000 welfare recipients were able to find work. In addition, under the Voinovich administration, unemployment fell to a 25-year low, and the creation of more than one-half million jobs total in the state led Site Selection magazine to rank Ohio first in the nation for new and expanded business facilities. He also earned Governing magazine’s Public Official of the Year award for 1995. Voinovich left office just before his second term was due to end, having won election to the U.S. Senate, where he continues to serve the people of Ohio.
Source
Who’s Who in American History, 2006. New Providence, NJ: Marquis’ Who’s Who, 2005.