Hundreds Fill Ohio Statehouse to Remember Jo Ann Davidson, the State's Only Female House Speaker

Hundreds of mourners packed the Ohio Statehouse to honor Jo Ann Davidson, the first and only woman to serve as speaker of the Ohio House. Five of the state's six living governors were among those in attendance, and the crowd filled the room beyond its seating capacity.

Davidson died on Friday at age 97. A longtime fixture of Republican politics in Ohio, she was first elected to the House in 1980 and became speaker in 1995, a post she held until 2001. She served three terms as speaker and left the legislature because of term limits. In 2011, she became the first chair of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, and she also served as a trustee at several universities.

She was Ohio's Republican National Committeewoman from 2005 until April 2024 and helped bring the 2016 Republican National Convention to Cleveland, even though she backed then-Gov. John Kasich over Donald Trump in that year's race.

Former Gov. Nancy Hollister, who held the office for nine days in January 1999 after George Voinovich left for the U.S. Senate, said Davidson later swore her in as a state representative. "She was a friend. She was a mentor. And she was my favorite steel magnolia," Hollister said. Kasich, governor from 2011 to 2018, called Davidson "incredible" and "a great leader," adding that she "used them all to the max" when it came to her talents.

Democrat Ted Strickland, governor from 2007 to 2011, said Davidson was "a political legend. But also more than a political legend." He pointed to her service on the Franklin County Mental Health Board and said the turnout showed how much people in both parties valued her work. Republican Govs. Bob Taft and Mike DeWine also attended.

Current House Speaker Jason Stephens was present, along with former speakers Bob Cupp and Cliff Rosenberger. Rosenberger, the first Asian-American speaker of the Ohio House, said Davidson "blazed a trail" not only for women but also for minorities. Several former Senate presidents attended as well, including Larry Obhof, Tom Niehaus, Doug White and Richard Finan. Finan recalled that when Davidson gave her word, "you knew it was going to stick." Randy Gardner, who served as House majority leader and speaker pro tem under her, praised her intellect, energy and ability to bring people together.

Dozens of graduates of the Leadership Institute that Davidson founded in 2000 for women in politics and business attended, many dressed in red. In all, 487 women have completed the eight-month program. Graduate Ruth Edmunds recalled Davidson's advice to go for opportunities because there is never a right time, to put relationships first, and to "always wear power colors."

Columbus attorney Frank Reed, who was a page in the Ohio Senate when Davidson took the speaker's post, recalled that she succeeded longtime Democratic Speaker Vern Riffe. Many had doubted Riffe would hand the gavel to a Republican, let alone a woman, Reed said. Riffe gave her a glass ceremonial gavel, "but it was with class and style."

Betty Montgomery, a former state senator who was elected both state auditor and attorney general, delivered the eulogy. She described her longtime friend as "iconic," "strategic" and "gracious," and said members of both parties remembered Davidson sitting with them to discuss their aspirations and concerns. Former U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce and Davidson's granddaughter Emily Enslen also spoke.