Rep's Corner

President’s Day - an annual celebration to honor our nation’s highest leaders. A day reserved to honor the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and reflect on the contributions of these two famous presidents. It is also a day to reflect on the accomplishments of all the men who have served as our president. For Ohioans, this is a day to feel proud that our great state has such strong historical roots to the presidency of the United States of America.

Eight American presidents were elected from the Buckeye State, earning Ohio the nickname “the Mother of Presidents.” Presidents from Ohio include:
• William Henry Harrison, 9th President (1841-died in office), lived in North Bend, Ohio when elected President;
• Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President (1869-1877), born in Point Pleasant, Ohio;
• Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President (1877-1881), born in Deleware, Ohio;
• James A. Garfield, 20th President (1881-assassinated six months after taking office), born in Orange, Ohio;
• Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President (1889-1893), born in North Bend, Ohio;
• William McKinley, 25th President (1897-1901- died in office during his second term), born in Niles, Ohio;
• William H. Taft, 27th President (1909-1913), born in Cincinnati, Ohio; and,
• Warren G. Harding, 29th President (1921-1923-died in office), born in Corsica, Ohio (now Blooming Grove).

The contributions of these great Ohioans helped to shape the nation during times of unsettlement and rebuilding. While easy to focus our attention on Ohio’s own, to simply limit our observance to these great men would be a great disservice to the other men who also made great strides in shaping the future of our country.

Once such man is George Washington. For, without his victorious leadership during the Revolutionary War, there may never have been a presidency. Washington’s exemplary role as the first president of our nation by and large made him one of our most popular presidents. Washington’s birthday, originally celebrated on the actual day, February 22, was celebrated not only during his lifetime, but also before he became president. By the time Washington died in 1799, there was hardly a town or village that did not celebrate his birthday in steadfast thankfulness for the significant contributions he made to our country.

Another highly revered president that shares a February birthday is Abraham Lincoln. Born on February 12, Lincoln is best known for his leadership during the Civil War and for his unwavering stance to abolish slavery, Lincoln governed to make the United States a freer country for every citizen. His words declaring “that a government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth” still evoke feelings of patriotism. Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, just six days after the end of the Civil War.

While Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays gave impetus to Presidents’ Day, it is hard to say what our country would be like without a Franklin D. Roosevelt whose innovative, critical mind brought us through the Great Depression and World War II; a John F. Kennedy whose administration saw the beginning of new hope for both the equal rights of Americans and the peace of the world.; a Ronald Reagan who restored our national prosperity after the recession of the 1970’s or a George Bush who effectively guided the U.S. and the world as the Iron Curtain fell.

On February 21, we will celebrate Presidents’ Day to commemorate all of the individuals who have served at the helm of our nation. It is a day in which we can take time to reflect upon our national history, remember our country’s great leaders and relish in all that makes Ohio and the United States of America a great place to call home.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to contact me, State Representative Lynn Olman, 77 South High Street, 13th Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43266-0603


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