George Voinovich

George Voinovich
Official portrait, 2006
United States Senator
from Ohio
In office
January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byJohn Glenn
Succeeded byRob Portman
Chair of the Senate Ethics Committee
In office
January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Preceded byHarry Reid
Succeeded byBarbara Boxer
Chair of the National Governors Association
In office
July 30, 1997 – August 4, 1998
Preceded byBob Miller
Succeeded byTom Carper
65th Governor of Ohio
In office
January 14, 1991 – December 31, 1998
LieutenantMike DeWine
Nancy Hollister
Preceded byDick Celeste
Succeeded byNancy Hollister
54th Mayor of Cleveland
In office
January 1, 1980 – December 31, 1989
Preceded byDennis Kucinich
Succeeded byMichael White
56th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
In office
January 8, 1979 – November 1979
GovernorJim Rhodes
Preceded byDick Celeste
Succeeded byMyrl Shoemaker
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the 53rd district
In office
January 3, 1967 – December 15, 1971
Preceded byDistrict established
Succeeded byEdward Ryder
Personal details
Born
George Victor Voinovich

(1936-07-15)July 15, 1936
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJune 12, 2016(2016-06-12) (aged 79)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Janet Allan
(m. 1962)
Children4
EducationOhio University (BA)
Ohio State University (JD)

George Victor Voinovich (July 15, 1936 – June 12, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 1999 to 2011. He previously served as the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998 and as the 54th mayor of Cleveland from 1980 to 1989, the last Republican to serve in that office.

Voinovich spent more than 46 years in public service—first as assistant attorney general of Ohio in 1963 and finally as the senior U.S. senator representing Ohio. He is the 15th person to have served as both the governor of Ohio and a U.S. senator and one of only two Cleveland mayors to later become governor of Ohio and a U.S. senator; the other was Frank Lausche. He is also the only person to have served as both chairman of the National Governors Association and president of the National League of Cities.