John William Bricker (September 6, 1893 March 22, 1986) was a United States Senator and Governor of Ohio. A member of the Republican Party, he was the Republican nominee for Vice President in 1944.

Early life

Bricker was born on a farm near Mount Sterling, Ohio. He attended The Ohio State University at Columbus, where he divided his time between the debating team and the varsity baseball team. After graduating with a B.A. from Ohio State in 1916 and from its law department in 1920, he was admitted to the bar in 1917 and commenced practice in Columbus in 1920.

He was married to the former Harriet Day.

Public service

During World War I, Bricker served as first lieutenant and chaplain in the United States Army in 1917 and 1918. He subsequently served as solicitor for Grandview Heights, Ohio from 1920 to 1928, Assistant Attorney General of Ohio from 1923 to 1927, a member of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio from 1929 to 1932 and Attorney General of Ohio from 1933 to 1937.

He was elected Governor of Ohio for three two-year terms, serving from 1939 to 1945, each time winning with a greater margin of victory. Bricker espoused a stance against centralized government, preferring to increase involvement in state and local governments, and made this known in his inaugural address as Governor:

Bricker was the Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1944, sharing the unsuccessful ticket with Presidential nominee Thomas Dewey, which lost to Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was then elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1946 and re-elected in 1952, serving from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1959.

His Senate service is best remembered for his attempts to amend the United States Constitution to limit the President's treaty-making powers (the Bricker Amendment). He was the chairman of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce during the 83rd Congress.

In 1958, Stephen Young ran for the Senate against the incumbent Bricker. Bricker seemed invincible, but Young capitalized on widespread public opposition to the proposed "right to work" amendment to Ohio's constitution, which Bricker had endorsed. Few thought that Young, 70 at the time, could win; even members of his own party had doubts, particularly Ohio's other senator, Democrat Frank J. Lausche. In an upset, Young defeated Bricker, who then retired from public life.

Professional life

In 1945, Bricker founded the Columbus, Ohio law firm now known as Bricker & Eckler. The firm now has additional offices in Cleveland, Ohio and West Chester, Ohio. The West Chester office serves the cities of Cincinnati and Dayton. "Bricker" is now one of the ten largest firms in the state of Ohio.

After leaving the Senate, John Bricker resumed the practice of law. He died in Columbus at the age of ninety-two.

Miscellaneous

• On The Ohio State University campus in Columbus, the Bricker Hall building was named after Bricker. The building currently serves as the home of the Department of Sociology. Bricker was a member of the OSU Board of Trustees from 1948 to 1969.

Notes