Bob Taft
Governor Taft (2002)
67th Governor of Ohio
In office January 11, 1999 – January 8, 2007
Lieutenant	Maureen O'Connor (1999-2003), Jennette Bradley (2003-2005), Bruce Edward Johnson (2005-2007)
Preceded by	Nancy Hollister
Succeeded by	Ted Strickland
49th Ohio Secretary of State
In office January 14, 1991 – January 11, 1999
Governor	George Voinovich Nancy Hollister
Preceded by	Sherrod Brown
Succeeded by	Kenneth Blackwell
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 65th district
In office January 3, 1977 – December 31, 1980
Preceded by	Frank H. Mayfield
Succeeded by	John O'Brien
Personal details
Born	Robert Alphonso Taft II (1942-01-08) January 8, 1942 (age 70) Boston, Massachusetts
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Hope Taft
Residence	Columbus, Ohio
Alma mater	Yale University (B.A.) Princeton University (M.A.) University of Cincinnati (J.D.)
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Methodist

Robert Alphonso "Bob" Taft II (born January 8, 1942) is an Ohio Republican Party politician. He was elected to two terms of office as the 67th Governor of the U.S. state of Ohio between 1999-2007. After leaving office, Taft started working for the University of Dayton beginning August 15, 2007.^[1]

Personal background[link]

Taft was born in 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of U.S. Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Blanca Duncan Noel. His grandfather was U.S. Senate Majority Leader Robert A. Taft, his great-grandfather was U.S. President and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft, and his great-great-grandfather was Attorney General and Secretary of War Alphonso Taft.

He was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he attended the Cincinnati Country Day School through the ninth grade and graduated from The Taft School. He attended Yale University, where he was a member of the Yale Political Union, and graduated with a B.A. in government in 1963. From 1963 to 1965, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching in the African nation of Tanzania. He later attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, receiving an M.A., again in government, in 1967. In 1976, he received his Juris Doctor from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

Early political career[link]

Taft was elected as a Republican to the Ohio House of Representatives from 1976 to 1981, and then was Hamilton County commissioner from 1981 to 1990. He ran for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio on the ticket with Jim Rhodes in 1986, but was unsuccessful. In 1990, he was elected as the Ohio Secretary of State, defeating incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown. He was re-elected in 1994, defeating Democratic candidate Dan Brady.

Governor of Ohio[link]

Taft was elected Governor of Ohio in 1998, defeating Democrat Lee Fisher 50-45 percent, and was reelected in 2002, defeating Democrat Tim Hagan 58-38 percent.

Third Frontier[link]

The Third Frontier program, started under the Taft administration, as of 2009 was considered an enormous success in modernizing Ohio's 21st century economy. The program focuses on issuing funding for research, development, and commercialization projects to the biomedical, alternative energy, and the advanced propulsion industries and institutions, among others. Between 2003-2008 it dispersed $681 million, resulting in a $6.6 billion economic impact return and 41,300 jobs.^[2]

Governor's Cup awards[link]

During Taft's tenure, Ohio was awarded the Governor's Cup twice, in 2003 and 2006. The award, selected by Site Selection Magazine, is given to the state that attracts the most business developments over $1 million, creates over 50 jobs, or constructs over 20,000 new square feet of business area during the course of a year. The honor is deemed as being considered the best state in the country for business development, attraction, and capital investment.^[3]

Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine[link]

In 2003, the state awarded $19.4 million for the creation of the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. Taft personally delivered the award to the institution in Cleveland. The state awarded another $8 million in 2006 from their Biomedical Research Research and Commercialization Program, which the Taft administration contributed to creating through the Third Frontier program.^[4][5] By 2009, the center had become recognized as a regional leader and had spun off four companies, conducted 51 clinical trials, treated over 250 patients with adult stem cells, and treated over 60 patients with other cell therapies.^[6]

Education[link]

When the Taft administration took over, the state was faced with an education crisis as nearly half of students were failing mandatory tests and were attending failing districts. Taft's "Rebuilding Ohio Schools" was an ambitious project that would pour $10 billion over 12 years into new school construction. The Taft administration ultimately presided over the largest increase in education funding in state history.^[7] According to the U.S. Department of Education, Ohio student scores increased during Taft's tenure, including 4th and 8th grade math scores every period, with Ohio students scoring above the national average every period in every subject.^[8] The number of high school graduates increased,^[9] and for the 2006-2007 school year Ohio produced the most advanced percentage of 8th grade science students in the country.^[10]

Taft signed legislation creating the Ohio Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program, which extended choice to students in failing schools, and the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, which extended grants to 11,000 new students.^[11]

Tort reform[link]

In January 2003, Taft signed Ohio Senate Bill 281 into law, which limited non-economic damages in medical injury lawsuits. The bill limited non-economic damages to $350,000 and imposed a statute of limitations.^[12] Taft then signed Ohio Senate Bill 80, introduced by Sen. Steve Stivers, into law in January 2005, which placed further caps on lawsuit awards in general.^[13]

Veterans affairs[link]

In December 2000, Taft signed House Bill 408, which designated Interstate 76 as the "The Military Order of the Purple Heart Memorial Highway".^[14] In July 2001, he signed legislation to permit school districts to award high school diplomas to veterans of World War II from the United States who were called into service before obtaining their diploma.^[15] In November 2001, with the ensuing War on Terror set to begin, Taft signed Ohio Senate Bill 164, called the Military Pay Bill, into law. The bill protected the benefits of state employees called into full-time active service.^[16] In 2003, he signed Ohio Senate Bill 47, introduced by Sen. Steve Stivers, which provided additional time to soldiers on active duty to pay their property taxes, interest free.^[17] In 2004, he signed legislation renaming the "Michael A. Fox Highway" to the "Butler County Veterans Highway",^[18] and proclaimed November to be "Hire a Veteran Month" in Ohio.^[19]

In 2005, Taft signed legislation creating the Military Injury Relief Fund, which allowed taxpayers to donate a portion of their tax refund to help fund grants for injured veterans.^[20] He successfully lobbied, along with others, in 2006 to have the Royal Netherlands Air Force join the Ohio Air National Guard in training missions in Springfield.^[21] Taft signed numerous other pieces of legislation extending benefits to service members, and in 2006 was honored with the National Guard Association of the United States’ Charles Dick Medal of Merit, in which the press release stated "Taft fought to ensure that Ohio’s Soldiers, Airmen and their families were cared for in all aspects of their service, and presided over an unprecedented expansion of state benefits for Guardmembers and their families." Ohio's adjuntant general Maj. Gen. Gregory L. Wayt stated about Taft that "he epitomizes what a commander-in-chief of a National Guard should be. During his term he has stood strong with the National Guard."^[22]

His wife, Hope, started the "On the Ohio Homefront" initiative, which is an online database of businesses and charities that provide discounts and services catered toward veterans.^[23]

Highway construction[link]

In 2003, Taft unveiled his "Jobs and Progress Plan", which was a $5 billion, 10-year agenda to improve Ohio's highways and roads.^[24] Among the notable projects were the $97 million Wilmington Bypass project,^[25] the $1 billion Cleveland Inner Belt project,^[26] and the $220 million Veterans' Glass City Skyway in Toledo.^[27]

Taxes[link]

In 2003, Taft signed legislation enacting the largest tax increase in state history, a temporary two-year, 1% sales tax which generated $2.9 billion in revenue during the national recession. In 2005, Taft signed major tax reform, including a 21% personal income tax cut over five years, a reduction of the sales tax by .5%, elimination of the corporate franchise tax over five years, and the elimination of the personal tangible property tax over four years. The legislation also included nominal tax credit increases, including $50 for personal and dependent exemptions, and $88 in deductions for deposits made into Ohio Medical Savings Accounts.^[11] In 2006, Taft signed Substitute House Bill 49, which provided a 25% tax credit for historic rehabilitation projects.^[28]

Alternative energy and Energy Action Plan[link]

In 2001, Taft, along with other state leaders, met in Cleveland to unify in calling on the U.S. Congress to grant a funding request for the NASA Glenn Research Center, which was researching projects that included alternative and more efficient energy, and to designate NASA Glenn for the leadership role in biotechnology research.^[29] In 2005, Taft mandated that the Ohio Department of Transportation use 1 million US gallons (3,800 m³) of B20 biodiesel and 30,000 US gallons (110,000 L) of E85 ethanol per year, while selecting flex-fuel vehicles for new purchases. ODOT had been using alternative fuels since 1999, and owned 193 flex-fuel vehicles when this announcement was made. Taft also mandated that ethanol tanks be constructed at all new ODOT facilities.^[30] Later in 2005, Taft urged the U.S. Congress to extend tax credits to those who install fuel cell electricity stations. As part of the Ohio Third Frontier program, $100 million in grants had already been issued for the research of fuel cells.^[31]

In early 2006, Taft announced his "Energy Action Plan", which included doubling the use of E85 ethanol in state fleets from 30,000 US gallons (110,000 L) to 60,000, increasing the use of biodiesel in state fleets by 100,000 US gallons (380,000 L) annually, while mandating the purchase of flex-fuel only vehicles for the state fleet, and allocating $3.6 million from the Energy Loan Fund to make state buildings energy efficient. The plan also called for $25 million from the Energy Loan Fund to be set aside over five years for wind turbine producing companies, and to set aside a grant of 1.2 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by wind energy. Taft called for a pilot program to create jet fuel from coal, moving Ohio's geological information on fossil fuel sources to digital formats, and reaffirming the state's commitment to FutureGen, a clean coal initiative.^[32]

Between 1998-2007, Ohio's "green" industry sector grew at the fourth highest rate in the country, 7.3%.^[33]

Great Lakes initiatives[link]

Taft spent considerable time during his administration promoting the Great Lakes, which included lobbying the U.S. Congress for funding devoted to restoration projects,^[34] and signing pacts that included 8 Great Lakes states and 2 Canadian provinces to preserve the area.^[35] These pacts included the "The Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes", which called for a $20 billion investment, cleanup, and renewal of the lakes, the "The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement", which aimed to prevent new damage to the region, and "The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact".^[36] In 2001, Taft agreed to "Annex 2001", an addition to the Great Lakes Charter.^[37]

Criticisms[link]

Concealed carry[link]

In February 2006 Taft vetoed legislation passed by both houses of the Ohio General Assembly removing the 'Plain Sight' provision from the state's concealed carry law. The bill would have also kept The Plain Dealer from publishing the names and home addresses of licensees.^[38] Nevertheless, this provision passed into law when the General Assembly overrode his veto, the first veto override in Ohio in over 30 years.^[39]

Spending and economy[link]

Taft was criticized during his tenure for permitting state spending and state taxes to rise.^[40] Critics also argued that Taft was responsible for the lagging Ohio economy in the early 21st century, despite federal trade policies that were out of his control, resulting in the loss of 13,432 employment positions to international trade alone in 2006, and 71,242 employment positions lost overall between 1995-2006. Those figues are based on the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program figures, which has stringent standards that doesn't count all the employment positions truly lost to international trade.^{[41] [42]}

Capital punishment[link]

Taft presided over the reintroduction of capital punishment in Ohio. During his term 24 people were put to death by lethal injection, which made Ohio a first state outside the South by number of performed executions. Taft, however, granted one commutation.^[43]

NARAL v. Taft[link]

Taft was the subject of a federal lawsuit in 2005, NARAL v. Taft, over his decision to allow "Choose Life" license plates to be sold by the state to raise funds for pregnancy crisis centers and adoption centers. They were considered by the American Civil Liberties Union to be "viewpoint discrimination", thus unconstitutional. The district court dismissed the ACLU's lawsuit, and they later withdrew their appeal from the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.^[44]

Criminal conviction[link]

In 1999, Taft issued a gubernatorial executive order mandating four hours of ethics training for members of his cabinet, assistant cabinet directors, and senior staff every two years.

In 2001, a ruling by the Ohio Ethics Commission made clear that free rounds of golf paid for by lobbyists valued over $75 were to be disclosed.^[45] Taft stated he was not aware of the opinion until 2005 after news reports surfaced about the Coingate investigation. In a 2003 questionnaire for a possible appointment to the Ohio Turnpike Commission, Thomas Noe, at the center of the Coingate investigation, indicated to Taft he was not doing business with the state, although he had been.^[46] Taft personally notified the commission of possible disclosure failures, and offered his cooperation in correcting the issues in voluntarily triggering an investigation.^[45]

On August 17, 2005, Taft was charged with four criminal misdemeanors stemming from his failure to disclose golf outings paid for by lobbyists, as well as some undisclosed gifts. The Associated Press reported the total value of at least 52 undisclosed gifts as about US$5,800, they included:^[47]

• Two undisclosed gifts including golf with coin dealer Thomas Noe, a Republican fundraiser then under investigation, and later convicted, for his handling of a $50 million investment of state money in rare coins, and diverting $2 million to personal use. Taft said of Tom Noe that "“He fooled people from one end of Ohio to the other.”^[45]

See Coingate scandal.

• Six undisclosed gifts including golf outings with political strategist Curt Steiner and Robert Massie, president of chemical services giant CAS, worth $700. Taft later lobbied the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services against expanding scientific directories that would compete with CAS.

• Undisclosed gifts including dinner and Columbus Blue Jackets hockey tickets from Jerry Jurgeson, chief executive officer of Nationwide Insurance

• book and artwork from the consulate general of the People's Republic of China worth $100

• a photograph and framed medal from the Defense Supply Center worth $85

• a portfolio and clothing worth $119 from the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce.

This was the first time an Ohio governor has ever been charged with a crime while in office.^[48]

At his arraignment in Franklin County Municipal Court in Columbus on August 18, Taft pleaded no contest and was fined $4,000 plus court cost. Judge Mark Froehlich also ordered Taft to apologize to the people of Ohio as well as state employees.^[49] Taft was quoted after sentencing stating "I offer my sincere and heartfelt apology, and I hope the people will understand that these mistakes, though major and important mistakes, were done unintentionally, and I hope and pray they will accept my apology."^[50] During the sentencing it was noted that Taft had a 30-year unblemished record as a public official.^[49]

Taft's conviction was grounds under the Ohio Constitution for impeachment and removal from office by the Ohio General Assembly; however, impeachment proceedings did not occur and Taft remained in office until the end of his second term.

In addition to the criminal sanctions, Taft was issued a public reprimand by the Ohio Supreme Court on December 27, 2006 for accepting and failing to report gifts and golf outings worth more than $6000.00.^[51] This reprimand was attached to Taft's license to practice law in Ohio.^[52]

The Ohio Ethics Commission found no evidence that the non-disclosed gifts were linked to political favors.^[45]

Marc Dann and Michael B. Coleman[link]

State Sen. Marc Dann was the leading critic of the Taft administration and alleged corruption which resulted in the misdemeanor conviction. In 2005, Dann sued Taft to obtain documents relating to his administration, one of many attempts.^[53] A political witch hunt against Taft was denied,^[54] however, in 2006 when Dann sought higher office, he promoted in a campaign ad his pursuit of the Taft administration as a prime credential in his quest to become Ohio Attorney General, which he did. Dann would resign from his own scandals in 2008 as Attorney General of the state, including allegations of misusing $195,000 in campaign funds, with his aides ultimately being convicted of felony theft in office and sent to jail.^[55][56]

Another lead critic of Taft was Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman, who was seeking to replace him as Governor. Following the charges against Taft in August 2005, Coleman called for Taft's resignation and said his legal situation was crippling the state government.^[57] In mid-October of that year, his wife and campaign adviser, Frankie Coleman, was charged with DUI after hitting a parked truck while driving three times over the legal limit, crippling the Coleman For Governor campaign as he withdrew the following month, citing family issues.^[58]

Ethics reform[link]

After the fallout from his conviction, Taft called for a ban on executive-level government officials from accepting gifts of any amount from lobbyists.^[59]

Polling[link]

In the wake of convictions for the ethics violations (see criminal conviction), Taft's approval rating bottomed out at 6.5 percent, according to a late November 2005 poll by Zogby, giving him quite possibly the lowest polled approval rating ever by a United States politician.^[60] A SurveyUSA poll that same month gave Taft a rating of 18 percent. A late-2005 article in Time named him as one of the three worst governors in the country.^[61]

Ohio Republican losses[link]

Due to term limits for the Ohio governorship, Taft was ineligible to run for a third consecutive term. According to the Washington Post, Taft was the most unpopular Governor in Ohio history.^{[citation needed]} Taft's unpopularity contributed to major Democratic gains in the 2006 election, including the defeat of Republican Ken Blackwell by Democrat Ted Strickland in the race to replace Taft as Governor.

Post Gubernatorial activities[link]

After Taft left the governorship, he and his wife made a trip to Tanzania in February 2007 where he had served as a Peace Corps volunteer. Taft said the trip was invigorating and that the buildings where he taught and lived 40 years ago were still there.^[62]

Taft joined the University of Dayton in August 2007 as a distinguished research associate for educational excellence. His job is to help the university launch the Center for Educational Excellence, which encourages students to study science, technology, engineering and math. "We've got to figure out how to get more students in college, and that's a challenge that I really look forward to."^[1] Thomas Lasley II, dean of the School of Education and Allied Professions, stated Taft was the first professional who refused his salary offer for being too high. Lasley was quoted "I think the more people have gotten to know him(Taft) the more they realize he is a very ethical individual".^[63]

In November 2008, he joined the Board of Directors of the Alliance for the Great Lakes to help advance Great Lakes education and policy initiatives, such as the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin Water Resources Compact, started during his tenure as Chairman of the Council of Great Lakes Governors.

Family[link]

The Taft family has been involved in Republican politics for over a century. His great-great-grandfather Alphonso Taft was Secretary of War, Attorney General, and an Ambassador; his great-grandfather William Howard Taft was President and Chief Justice of the United States; and his grandfather (Robert Alphonso Taft I) and his father (Robert Taft Jr.) were both U.S. Senators. His first cousin, William Howard Taft IV formerly served as chief legal advisor to the U.S. Department of State, before resigning after the reelection of President George W. Bush. His uncle, William Howard Taft III was an Ambassador. His great-grand-uncle Charles Phelps Taft was a U.S. Representative from Ohio and for a time, an owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. His great-great-great-grandfather, Peter Rawson Taft, was a member of the Vermont legislature. Other prominent relatives include Seth Chase Taft, Charles Phelps Taft II, Peter Rawson Taft II, Henry Waters Taft, Walbridge S. Taft, and Horace Dutton Taft. Kingsley A. Taft was a U.S. Senator from Ohio and Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court.

Bob Taft is also related to former President George W. Bush through at least three different marriages, ranging from eighth-cousin-once-removed to 11th-cousin-once-removed, as well as being a ninth cousin of former Vice President Dick Cheney (see Cousin chart to understand these terms).

See also[link]

Biography portal

• Taft family

Notes[link]

v t e Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Ohio Governors Tiffin Kirker Huntington Meigs Looker Worthington E. Brown Trimble Morrow Trimble McArthur Lucas Vance Shannon Corwin Shannon T. Bartley M. Bartley Bebb Ford Wood Medill Chase Dennison Tod Brough Anderson J. D. Cox Hayes Noyes Allen Hayes Young Bishop Foster Hoadly Foraker Campbell McKinley Bushnell Nash Herrick Pattison Harris Harmon J. M. Cox Willis J. M. Cox Davis Donahey Cooper White Davey Bricker Lausche Herbert Lausche J. Brown O'Neill DiSalle Rhodes Gilligan Rhodes Celeste Voinovich Hollister Taft Strickland Kasich Lieutenant Governors Medill Myers Ford Welker Kirk Stanton Anderson McBurney Lee Mueller Hart Young Curtiss Fitch Hickenlooper Richards Warwick Kennedy Conrad Lyon Lampson Marquis Harris Jones Caldwell Nippert Gordon Harding Harris Treadway Pomerene Nichols Greenlund Arnold Bloom C. Brown Bloom Lewis Bloom Pickrel Braden J. T. Brown Pickrel Sawyer Mosier Yoder Herbert Nye Herbert Nye J. W. Brown Herbert Donahey J. W. Brown Celeste Voinovich Shoemaker Leonard DeWine Hollister O'Connor Bradley Johnson Fisher Taylor

v t e Ohio Secretary of State Creighton McLene Kirby Hinkson Harlan Trevitt Sloane Galloway King Trevitt Baker A. Russell Cowen Kennon Armstrong W. Smith J. Russell Sherwood Wikoff Bell Barnes Townsend Newman Robinson Ryan Poorman Taylor Kinney Laylin Thompson Graves Hildebrant Fulton H. Smith T. H. Brown C. Brown Myers Kennedy Griffith Neffiner J. Sweeney Hummel C. Sweeney T. W. Brown Celebrezze S. Brown Taft Blackwell Brunner Husted

Cheryl Grossman is a Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 23rd District since 2009. She serves as assistant majority whip in the 129th General Assembly

Career[link]

Grossman served on the planning commission and city council before becoming Mayor of Grove City, Ohio in 1996, serving until 2008. Grossman also was in the running in 2003 to replace Priscilla Mead in the state Senate, but Steve Stivers was chosen instead.

Ohio House of Representatives[link]

With incumbent Larry Wolpert unable to run again due to term limits, Grossman entered the race to replace him, and was endorsed by Wolpert.^[1] Facing no opposition in the primary, Grossman went on to run against Democrat Keith Goldhardt in the general election. She went on to defeat Goldhardt by about 11,000 votes.^[2]

When Kris Jordan stepped down as assistant minority whip midway through 2009 to run for the state Senate, Grossman was appointed to the position.

For the 2010 election, Grossman was up for reelection against Democrat Steven Harp as well as a Libertarian candidate. She went on to beat Harp by 15,000 votes.^[3] Subsequently, Republicans retook the House of Representatives' majority, and Grossman was tabbed to serve as assistant majority whip for the 129th General Assembly.^[4] She also is serving as a member of the Economic and Small Business Development Committee; the Finance and Appropriations Committee and Transportation Subcommittee; the Rules and Reference Committee; and the State Government and Elections Committee; the Ohio Legislative Service Commission; and the Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission.

Initiatives and positions[link]

Issuing a statement 100 days into the 129th Ohio General Assembly, Grossman has stated that the Republican caucus has focused on jobs, government and accountability.^[5]

Fiscal initiatives

Early on in her second term, Grossman, along with Jay Hottinger introduced legislation that sought to do away with the Ohio estate tax. "For over four decades, Ohio's estate tax has taken direct aim at its middle class, most notably its homeowners, farmers and small business owners," Rep. Grossman has said. "It has been a driving force for moving wealth and investments out of the state and a major contributor to the unfriendly business climate that has plagued Ohio's entrepreneurial class for too long."

A supporter of S.B. 5 which limits collective bargaining for public employees, Grossman voted for its passage out of the Ohio House of Representatives.^[6]

Grossman stated that the Ohio House of Representatives saved almost a quarter of a million dollars through the elimination of standing committees. This statement was determined to be "barely true" in a researched report by Politifact.^[7]

Business initiatives

Grossman, along with Terry Boose, has also introduced an initiative to put on hold most new safety regulations for trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds. Grossman has argued the new regulations are unnecessary and a burden for businesses. "I can't justify enforcement of any of these rules," said Grossman.^[8]

In a safety initiative, Grossman has opted introduce legislation that would allow BMV workers to ask Ohio drivers for emergency contact information to be used in instances of emergencies. It would not be a requirement, but rather an option for individuals to consider.^[9]

Social initiatives

With help from the American Heart Association, Grossman has introduced a bill that would require CPR training to young persons getting ready to obtain a driver's license. Grossman believes that it would give youth a "skill for a lifetime" to put to good use saving lives.^[10]

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Ohio House of Representatives: Representative Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) official site
• The Ohio Ladies' Gallery: Rep. Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City)
• Cheryl Grossman for Ohio campaign website

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There are many people in history who are commonly appended with the phrase "the Great", or who were called that or an equivalent phrase in their own language. Other languages have their own suffixes such as e Bozorg and e azam in Persian and Urdu respectively.

In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to be a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King". This title was first used by the conqueror Cyrus II of Persia.^[1]

The Persian title was inherited by Alexander III of Macedon (336–323 BC) when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet "Great" eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference (in a comedy by Plautus)^[2] assumes that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no earlier evidence that Alexander III of Macedon was called "the Great".

The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC).

Later rulers and commanders began to use the epithet "the Great" as a personal name, like the Roman general Pompey. Others received the surname retrospectively, like the Carthaginian Hanno and the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. Once the surname gained currency, it was also used as an honorific surname for people without political careers, like the philosopher Albert the Great.

As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of later generations in using the designation greatly varies. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "The Great" in his lifetime but is rarely called such nowadays, while Frederick II of Prussia is still called "The Great". A later Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I - was often called "The Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely later.

Rulers[link]

• Abbas I of Persia (1571–1629), Shah of Iran
• Akbar (1542–1605), ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia, mainly India
• Alain I of Albret (1440–1522), French aristocrat
• Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, Persia, Greece, Egypt, and all of Mesopotamia
• Alexander I of Georgia (1386–1446), King of Georgia
• Alfonso III of León (c. 848-910), King of León, Galicia and Asturias
• Alfred the Great (848/849-899), King of Wessex
• Antiochus III the Great (c. 241–187 BC), ruler of the Seleucid Empire
• Ashoka the Great (c. 304–232 BC), Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty
• Ashot I of Iberia “the Great”(died 826/830), presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia),
• Askia Mohammad I (c. 1442–1538), ruler of the Songhai Empire
• Bhumibol Adulyadej (born 1927), King of Thailand
• Bolesław I Chrobry (967-1025), sometimes called "the Great", first King of Poland
• Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the following section)
• Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (1736–1809), founder and ruler of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (in what is now Thailand)
• Cnut the Great (c. 985 or 995-1035), King of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden
• Casimir III the Great (1310–1370), King of Poland
• Catherine the Great (1729–1796), Empress of Russia
• Chandragupta II (reigned 375-413/415), also known as Vikramaditya, ruler of the Gupta empire in India
• Charlemagne (died 814), King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans
• Chulalongkorn (1853–1910), King of Siam (now Thailand)
• Chlothar II (584-629), King of Neustria and King of the Franks
• Conrad, Margrave of Meissen (c. 1097-1157), Margrave of Meissen
• Constantine I (c. 272-337), Roman emperor
• Cyaxares the Great (c. 625-585 BC), third king of Media
• Cyrus the Great (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC), founder and ruler of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire
• Darius the Great (550 – 486 BC), third ruler of the Persian Empire
• Devapala (died 850), ruler of the Pala Empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Dionysius I, Greek tyrant of Syracuse^[3]
• Ferdinand I of León and Castile (c. 1015–1065), King of León and Count of Castile
• Frederick the Great (1712–1786), King of Prussia
• Genghis Khan (1162?-1227), founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire
• Gero (c. 900–965), ruler of Marca Geronis, a very large march in Europe
• Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594–1632), King of Sweden, founder of the Swedish Empire, and noted military leader
• Gwanggaeto the Great, King of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea^[4][5]
• Hanno the Great, the name of three leaders of Carthage, in the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd centuries BC
• Henry I, Duke of Burgundy (946–1002)
• Henry IV of France (1553–1610), King of France and King of Navarre
• Herod the Great (73/74 BC-4 BC), King of Judea
• Hugh the Great (898-956), Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris
• Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France
• Hugh I, Count of Vermandois (1057–1101)
• Humphrey I de Bohun (died c. 1123), Anglo-Norman aristocrat
• Ivan III of Russia (1440–1505), Tsar of Russia
• John I of Portugal (1358–1433), King of Portugal and the Algarve
• John II of Aragon (1398–1479), King of Aragon and, through his wife, King of Navarre
• Justinian I (483-565), Byzantine Emperor
• Kamehameha I (c. 1758-1819), first King of Hawai'i
• Kanishka (died c. 127), ruler of the Kushan Empire in Central Asia and parts of India
• Kvirike III of Kakheti (1010–1029), King of Kakheti in eastern Georgia
• Kublai Khan (1215–1294), Mongol ruler in the 13th century and Emperor of China; founder of the Yuan Dynasty
• Llywelyn the Great (c. 1172–1240), Prince of Gwynedd and de facto ruler of most of Wales
• Louis I of Hungary (1326–1382), King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland
• Mangrai the Great (1238–1317), Lanna, northern Thailand
• Emperor Meiji (1852–1912), Emperor of Japan
• Mircea I of Wallachia (1355–1418)
• Mithridates II of Parthia (died 88 BC), ruler of the Parthian Empire (in present day Iran)
• Mithridates VI of Pontus (134 BC–63 BC), ruler of Pontus and the Bosporan Kingdom
• Mstislav I of Kiev (1076–1132), Grand Prince of Kievan Rus
• Naresuan (1555–1605), King of Ayutthaya
• Narai (1633–1688), King of Ayutthaya (in what is now modern Thailand)
• Odo the Great (died c. 735), Duke of Aquitaine
• Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (912-973)
• K'inich Janaab' Pakal (603-683), ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque
• Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa (1123–1186), King of Sri Lanka
• Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia (died 1075), King of Croatia
• Peter the Great (1672–1725), Tsar of Russia
• Peter III of Aragon (1239–1285), King of Aragon and King of Sicily
• Pompey (106 BC-48 BC), military and political leader of the late Roman Republic, rival of Julius Caesar
• Radama I (1793–1828), first king of greater Madagascar
• Raja Raja Chola I (c. 947-1014), Indian emperor of the Cholas.^[6][7][8]
• Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014–1044), Tamil King of India
• Ramesses II (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC), considered the greatest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt
• Ram Khamhaeng (around 1237 to 1247-1298), King of Sukhothai (in present day Thailand)
• Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona (1082–1131), also Count of Provence and various other counties
• Rhodri the Great (c. 820–878), King of Gwynedd (in present day Wales)
• Roman the Great (after 1160-1205), Grand Prince of Kiev
• Saladin (c. 1138-1193), Kurdish Sultan of Egypt and Syria, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, and victor over the Crusaders
• Samudragupta (c. 335–375), ruler of the Gupta empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Sancho III of Navarre (c. 992-1035), King of Kingdom of Navarre
• Sargon of Akkad (died c. 2215 BC), ruler of the Akkadian Empire
• Sejong the Great (1397–1450), Korean king^[9]
• Shapur II (309-379), king of the Sassanid Empire, Persia
• Simeon I of Bulgaria (864/865-927), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire
• Stephen III of Moldavia (1433–1504), Prince of Moldavia (Romania)
• Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia (c. 1308-1355), King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks
• Taksin (1734–1782), King of the Thonburi Kingdom (Thailand)
• Tamar (1160-1123), Queen of the Georgian Empire
• Timur (1336–1405), better known as Tamerlane, founder of the Timurid Dynasty
• Theobald II, Count of Champagne (1090–1151), Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV, Count of Champagne and of Brie
• Theodoric the Great (454-526), King of the Ostrogoths, regent of the Visigoths and a viceroy of the Byzantine Empire
• Theodosius I (347-395), Roman emperor
• Tigranes the Great (140-55 BC), Emperor of Armenia
• Tiridates III of Armenia (285-339), King of Armenia
• Umar (c. 586 to 590–644), second caliph of the Muslim Empire
• Valdemar I of Denmark (1131–1182), King of Denmark
• Valentinian I (364-375), Roman Emperor
• Vladimir I of Kiev (c. 958-1015), ruler of Kievan Rus
• Vytautas (c. 1350-1430), archduke of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy
• William I, Count of Burgundy (1020–1087), Count of Burgandy and Mâcon
• William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969-1030), also Count of Poitou
• Xerxes I (519-465 BC), King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire (Persia)
• Yu the Great (c. 2200-2100 BC), legendary ruler in ancient China

Religious figures[link]

• Abraham the Great of Kashkar (ca. 492-586), monk and saint of the Assyrian Church of the East
• Abraham Kidunaia (died c. 366, hermit, priest, and Christian saint of Mesopotamia
• Albertus Magnus (1193/1206–1280), medieval German philosopher and theologian
• Anthony the Great (c. 251–356), early Christian saint of Egypt
• Babai the Great (c. 551–628), Assyrian church leader
• Basil of Caesarea (330-379), Greek bishop and theologian
• Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the previous section)
• Euthymius the Great (377-473), abbot and Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint
• Gertrude the Great (1256-c. 1302), German Benedictine, mystic, theologian and Roman Catholic saint
• Pope Gregory I (c. 540-604)
• Hiyya the Great, 3rd-century rabbi, Palestine
• Pope John Paul II (1920–2005)
• Pope Leo I (c. 391 or 400-461)
• Macarius of Egypt (c. 300-391), Egyptian hermit
• Pope Nicholas I (c. 800-867)
• Photius I of Constantinople (c. 810–c. 893), Eastern Orthodox saint and Patriarch of Constantinople
• William of Maleval (died 1157), founder of the Catholic congregation of Williamites

Other[link]

• Beli Mawr, a figure in medieval Welsh literature and genealogies
• Emmy the Great, folk singer
• Matteo Rosso the Great, Roman politician and father of Pope Nicholas III
• Prokop the Great, Hussite general in Bohemia

See also[link]

• Epithet
• List of monarchs by nickname
• List of nicknames of European Royalty and Nobility: G-I
• James, son of Zebedee, also known as James the Greater, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus
• Ajax (mythology), called Ajax the Greater
• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whose common honorific "Mahatma" means "Great Soul"

Notes[link]

Susan Margaret Davies (born March 1954) is a former Australian politician.

She was born in Mirboo North, Victoria, to parents Richard Llewellyn (dec) and Jean Margaret Davies (dec). She attended Leongatha High School (1966–70) and Watsonia High School in 1971, when she completed her Higher School Certificate. She received a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma of Education in 1976 from Latrobe University. She subsequently became a secondary school teacher, and began farming in addition to this in 1989.^[1]

Davies joined the Australian Labor Party in 1993,as part of the rural protest against Kennett government funding and service cuts, and was the Labor candidate for Gippsland West in the 1996 Victorian state election. Sitting Liberal MP Alan Brown resigned less than a year after the state election, precipitating a bi-election. When the Labor party declined to stand a candidate for the very safe Liberal seat, she resigned from the Labor Party and contested the by-election as an independent, emerging victorious. She held her seat in the 1999 state election, holding the balance of power with 2 other rural Independents when a significant, mostly rural, and very anti-Kennett- government swing lead to a hung parliament. She played a key role in developing the Independents' Charter, which the 3 Independents used as a basis for selecting Steve Bracks and the Labor Party as the new minority government. She served on the Public Accounts and Estimates committee during the following parliamentary term. Prior to the 2002 election her seat of Gippsland West was abolished. She contested the notionally Liberal seat of Bass, but lost to the Liberal candidate, Ken Smith.^[1]

She later rejoined the Labor Party and contested the 2004 federal election as the Labor candidate for the federal seat of La Trobe. She was defeated by the Liberal candidate, Jason Wood. Susan now runs a small farm in South Gippsland, is part of a local food producers' network and Korumburra landcare, and is a director on several organisations, including Chairing Energy Innovation Co-operative Ltd, which promotes renewable energy and energy efficiency measures as a response to climate change and peak oil.

References[link]

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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2009)

Bob Rivers is a well-known American rock and roll radio on air personality in the Pacific Northwest as well as a prolific producer of parody songs, most famous for his Christmas song parodies.

Rivers' most recent radio program, The Bob Rivers Show with Bob, Spike and Joe, is broadcast on Seattle oldies station KJR-FM after a previous iteration was aired on another local Seattle radio station KZOK-FM, ending in 2010.

Previously, between late 1989 and August 2000, the show aired on Seattle, Washington Active Rock radio station KISW-FM under the title Bob Rivers Twisted Radio. The Bob Rivers Show was also simulcast on Portland, Oregon "1980s Rock Hits" radio station KVMX (now KXJM) "Mix 107.5" from 20 March 2006 until 5 October 2006, when the station dropped the morning show and switched to a Rhythmic Adult Contemporary format under the new branding "Movin' 107.5".

[edit] WAAF Bob and Zip

Bob Rivers spent almost 6 years at WAAF in Worcester, Massachusetts (in the Boston market), as part of their successful Bob and Zip morning show with fellow on air personality Peter "Zip" Zipfel.

During his tenure with WAAF, Rivers started producing parody and novelty songs, both for the station and for the KATZ/Newcity "American Comedy Network", a radio syndication service that provided comedy material to local U.S. and Canadian radio stations. One of the first parodies he produced was "Breakin' Up Is Hard On You", about the lawsuit and the resulting Bell System divestiture, the court ordered split up of U.S. telecommunications company AT&T's Bell System. The song was sung to the tune of Neil Sedaka's #1, 1962 hit "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" and peaked at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart. He followed it up with "Just a Big Ego," a parody of David Lee Roth's version of "Just a Gigolo." It went on to be included on Volume 2 of The Rhino Brothers Present the World's Worst Records and had a music video produced by Steve Rotfeld for Bob Uecker's Wacky World of Sports.