Ohio's First Female House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson Remembered as a Pioneer and Legend

FILE – Jo Ann Davidson, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, speaks at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, September 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The late Jo Ann Davidson, Ohio’s first and only female House speaker, was remembered Thursday at a Statehouse memorial service for blazing a trail for women with courage, grace and a guiding spirit. Dozens of Republican women she had mentored wore red in her honor and splashed the packed atrium with her signature “power color.”

Davidson, who died Friday at the age of 97, was a driving force in state and national Republican politics for nearly six decades. In addition to her time as a powerful speaker in the House of Representatives, she served as a consultant and campaign advisor to presidents and governors and as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.

‘Jo Ann fought for her place in politics at a time when politics was dominated by men’ Ohio Governor Mike DeWine told the crowd of current and former elected officials, journalists, party leaders and politicians from different generations. “She made her place through grit, determination, hard work, tenacity, integrity and belief in herself, and she wanted other women to believe in themselves too.”

“We have all lost a true Ohio legend, a pioneer, a leader, a role model, a friend and a deeply dedicated public servant.” DeWine said.

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce said she was one of several aspiring candidates Davidson nurtured. That was before she founded the Jo Ann Davidson Ohio Leadership Institute, a Columbus-based training center for women in business and politics, where Davidson mentored about 400 women.

“She lived by example, and that example included a unique ability to bring people together regardless of their political leanings,” Pryce said. “In her way of thinking, there is strength in cooperation and unity. That was my cup of tea. I always wanted to be just like her.”

Her granddaughter, Emily Enslen, said Davidson was not your typical grandmother.

“She came to my soccer games in a BMW convertible, she took golf carts to political conventions, she outdid my entire family at Disney World, she got an iPhone before any of us, and she brought back many gifts and stories from interesting places,” said Enslen.

Before the service, Davidson lay in state in the Statehouse Rotunda for several hours, the only woman ever to do so. The honor has only been awarded to ten people in the state’s history, including Abraham Lincoln. The last person to lie in state was former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn in 2016.

Former Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery, a close friend, said Davidson was a member of the Greatest Generation — with older brothers who fought in World War II — and that their constant nagging helped her develop her taste for competitive politics.

“She was tough, tactical, strategic, she loved a good fight and, more than anything, she loved to win,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery described Davidson’s efforts to quell divisions in the Ohio House as fearless and creative. Sometimes she would say a soothing word, sometimes a stern warning, and sometimes she would shoot you “the look.”

President George W. Bush personally persuaded Davidson to become co-chairman of the RNC, Montgomery said. Davidson led his regional re-election efforts in 2004, helping him to a crucial victory in Ohio over Democrat John Kerry to win the White House. She also managed Ohio Governor Bob Taft’s successful 2002 campaign and was a close adviser to then-Gov. John Kasich, both Republicans.

Both Kasich and Taft served as honorary pallbearers during Thursday’s service. Nancy Hollister, a former state representative and lieutenant governor who briefly served as Ohio’s only female governor, was also in attendance, as were first lady Fran DeWine, former first lady Hope Taft, and Lt. Governor Jon Husted and his wife Tina.

Montgomery recalled how Davidson’s life in politics began in 1965, when she ran for the all-male Reynoldsburg City Council. She regrouped, worked hard and won the seat two years later, spending the next ten years in this role.

In 1980, she was appointed to the Ohio House, where she would spend two decades building a reputation for hard work, team building and smarts. Fellow lawmakers elected her the first female speaker in 1994. She led the chamber until her retirement due to term limits in 2001.

In addition to her legislative service, she rose to vice president of special programs for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, earning a corner office. At one point, Montgomery said, the chamber’s attorney suggested that he, not her, should get the office — but the female secretary told her it was as important to them as it was to her. So she kept it.