What do you think?
Rate this book
Frank J. Lausche: Ohio's Great Political Maverick
Frank J. Lausche, first generation son of Slovenian immigrants, broke through an ethnic barrier and became Cleveland’s first mayor of Eastern European ancestry with his election in 1941. He opened the door for a succession of ethnics affectionately labeled Lausche Celebrezze, Locher, Perk, Kucinich and Voinovich.
Lausche began his career in politics with an appointment to Cleveland Municipal Court in the 1930s. By the time his career ended, he had served in three branches of the government. He was a two-term U.S. senator, five-term governor, two-term mayor and a Municipal Court and Common Pleas judge.
Lausche dominated state politics for over 35 years. The late Cleveland mayor Ralph J. Perk dubbed him the George Washington of nationalities movement, and he connected to the voters like no other Ohio politician in the twentieth century.
Lausche was a Democrat on the ballot but many called him a Dixiecrat because he repeatedly bucked his party, offended organized labor and regularly endorsed Republicans. His independence, however, sat well with voters who consistently returned the bushy-browed maverick to office.
Early in his career as a judge, he teamed up with legendary lawman Eliot Ness to close down gambling houses in Greater Cleveland. He captured the attention of the newspapers, especially Louis B. Seltzer, the king-making editor of the Cleveland Press. He refused the offer to run for mayor several times before acceding to be a candidate in 1941. During his tenure as mayor, the city took over the Cleveland Rail System and in 1942 the Cleveland Transit System (forerunner of the Regional Transit Authority) was created.
The thrifty Lausche drove old cars and became known as a penny pincher when it came to government spending. With the exception of highway construction and the planting of trees, Lausche’s gubernatorial tenure was characterized as status quo.
The venerable solon disliked his years in the senate, commenting they were the "most miserable and painful days of his political life." He railed against federal tax breaks for large oil companies and fought unnecessary spending at nearly every turn. He received attention from President Dwight Eisenhower who, according to one author, suggested Lausche as a possible replacement on the 1956 GOP ticket when the dumping of Richard Nixon was being considered.
Lausche’s anti-labor views finally caught up with him and he was targeted by organized labor when he sought reelection for his third term in 1968. His refusal to endorse Carl Stokes for mayor of Cleveland in 1967 left him vulnerable among black voters. Lausche was defeated in the 1968 Democratic primary by former Congressman John J. Gilligan of Cincinnati. After thirty-four years in office, Lausche’s political career ended.
The author’s authoritative account is based on use of an extensive variety of resources. Superbly weaving rich detail into a moving narrative, Odenkirk provides a fascinating account of a man of immense intellect, of unquestioned integrity and of steadfast devotion to the highest principles of public service. To many, Lausche was Ohio’s most significant political figure in the second-half of the twentieth century.
Lausche began his career in politics with an appointment to Cleveland Municipal Court in the 1930s. By the time his career ended, he had served in three branches of the government. He was a two-term U.S. senator, five-term governor, two-term mayor and a Municipal Court and Common Pleas judge.
Lausche dominated state politics for over 35 years. The late Cleveland mayor Ralph J. Perk dubbed him the George Washington of nationalities movement, and he connected to the voters like no other Ohio politician in the twentieth century.
Lausche was a Democrat on the ballot but many called him a Dixiecrat because he repeatedly bucked his party, offended organized labor and regularly endorsed Republicans. His independence, however, sat well with voters who consistently returned the bushy-browed maverick to office.
Early in his career as a judge, he teamed up with legendary lawman Eliot Ness to close down gambling houses in Greater Cleveland. He captured the attention of the newspapers, especially Louis B. Seltzer, the king-making editor of the Cleveland Press. He refused the offer to run for mayor several times before acceding to be a candidate in 1941. During his tenure as mayor, the city took over the Cleveland Rail System and in 1942 the Cleveland Transit System (forerunner of the Regional Transit Authority) was created.
The thrifty Lausche drove old cars and became known as a penny pincher when it came to government spending. With the exception of highway construction and the planting of trees, Lausche’s gubernatorial tenure was characterized as status quo.
The venerable solon disliked his years in the senate, commenting they were the "most miserable and painful days of his political life." He railed against federal tax breaks for large oil companies and fought unnecessary spending at nearly every turn. He received attention from President Dwight Eisenhower who, according to one author, suggested Lausche as a possible replacement on the 1956 GOP ticket when the dumping of Richard Nixon was being considered.
Lausche’s anti-labor views finally caught up with him and he was targeted by organized labor when he sought reelection for his third term in 1968. His refusal to endorse Carl Stokes for mayor of Cleveland in 1967 left him vulnerable among black voters. Lausche was defeated in the 1968 Democratic primary by former Congressman John J. Gilligan of Cincinnati. After thirty-four years in office, Lausche’s political career ended.
The author’s authoritative account is based on use of an extensive variety of resources. Superbly weaving rich detail into a moving narrative, Odenkirk provides a fascinating account of a man of immense intellect, of unquestioned integrity and of steadfast devotion to the highest principles of public service. To many, Lausche was Ohio’s most significant political figure in the second-half of the twentieth century.
495 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 10, 2019
Frank J. Lausche was a man who succeeded by doing everything wrong. Starting with the wrong party. He might have had a better time especially in the US Senate had he been a Republican.
His biggest strength was the block of eastern European ethnics who were migrating into the rust
belt cities of the Great Lakes region. Lausche was of Slovenian descent born to immigrant parents in
1895. He had two interests law which morphed into politics and baseball. He tried baseball but
when that didn't work out went to law school and became one of Cleveland's best trial attorneys.
Probably he was a Democrat because it was not a good era for the GOP in the 30s. Lausche became
a Municipal Court Judge from 1932-1937 and on the Court of Common Pleas from 1937-1941. No
doubt the Cleveland Democratic organization noted his popularity among the ethnic voters and ran
him for Mayor in 1941. Lausche won and became at the time a law and order mayor.
He never gave the organization the right time of day and organized labor got nothing from him.
Still he was a votegetter and he got the Democratic nomination for governor in 1944. He won the
first of five non-consecutive terms. He only lost in 1946 in that Republican year, but promptly
won again in 1948, 1950, 1952, and 1954.
Looking for new horizons Lausche ran for the US Senate and won in 1956 against one George H.
Bender who is described in the book as a nonentity who had won a special election to succeed
Robert A. Taft when he died. Lausche was so indifferent to party loyalty that he dropped hints of
voting to organize with the GOP but ultimately didn't. His voting record in his two terms was conservative for a Democrat, just shy of a Dixiecrat.
Lausche was easily re-elected in 1962 but come 1968 his maverick ways caught up with him. Organized labor never liked him and his support of the Vietnam War brought a new generation of
activists working against him and for Representative John J. Gilligan of Cincinnati who challenged
him in the primary. Gilligan won but lost in November to William Saxbe the Republican.
Lausche lived all the way to 1990 and in that time when he made the news was usually blasting his
former party. He was a staunch admirer of Ronald Reagan declaring him the best president during
his lifetime.
I think if Lausche had to do it again he would have been a Republican. But that would have deprived us of the colorful character subject of James Odenkirk's great biography.
His biggest strength was the block of eastern European ethnics who were migrating into the rust
belt cities of the Great Lakes region. Lausche was of Slovenian descent born to immigrant parents in
1895. He had two interests law which morphed into politics and baseball. He tried baseball but
when that didn't work out went to law school and became one of Cleveland's best trial attorneys.
Probably he was a Democrat because it was not a good era for the GOP in the 30s. Lausche became
a Municipal Court Judge from 1932-1937 and on the Court of Common Pleas from 1937-1941. No
doubt the Cleveland Democratic organization noted his popularity among the ethnic voters and ran
him for Mayor in 1941. Lausche won and became at the time a law and order mayor.
He never gave the organization the right time of day and organized labor got nothing from him.
Still he was a votegetter and he got the Democratic nomination for governor in 1944. He won the
first of five non-consecutive terms. He only lost in 1946 in that Republican year, but promptly
won again in 1948, 1950, 1952, and 1954.
Looking for new horizons Lausche ran for the US Senate and won in 1956 against one George H.
Bender who is described in the book as a nonentity who had won a special election to succeed
Robert A. Taft when he died. Lausche was so indifferent to party loyalty that he dropped hints of
voting to organize with the GOP but ultimately didn't. His voting record in his two terms was conservative for a Democrat, just shy of a Dixiecrat.
Lausche was easily re-elected in 1962 but come 1968 his maverick ways caught up with him. Organized labor never liked him and his support of the Vietnam War brought a new generation of
activists working against him and for Representative John J. Gilligan of Cincinnati who challenged
him in the primary. Gilligan won but lost in November to William Saxbe the Republican.
Lausche lived all the way to 1990 and in that time when he made the news was usually blasting his
former party. He was a staunch admirer of Ronald Reagan declaring him the best president during
his lifetime.
I think if Lausche had to do it again he would have been a Republican. But that would have deprived us of the colorful character subject of James Odenkirk's great biography.
November 28, 2020
I knew I would not like Frank Lausche, a marginal democratic Cleveland mayor, governor and senator while I grew up. As it turns out, reading the book turned to be nearly punishing. The author had an amazingly anti-union bias and was not balanced in covering the former Governor.
While the book had it’s disturbing bias, it covered a long period of Ohio political history including Cleveland’s race history, labor issues, Issue 2/Right-to-Work, various elections over those decades, how the various politicians raised up including Rhodes, various Tafts, and Voinovich.
But much of the book covered this self-serving fake who never understood labor and fought working on right-to-work, endorsing anti-union candidates, pay raises for city workers when he was a mayor, and every other opportunity he had to knock labor. Finally labor united and opposed Lausche, supporting Gilligan over him for U.S. Senate. Of course, Gilligan then lost in the general but was able to win the Governor’s mansion in the following big election.
The book also covered how Lausche was a fraud, not having any Ohio offices, missing committee meetings and hearing because he was often golfing with the wealthy (special interests) and other senators. He beat to his own drum, not having a strong relationship with others. Evidently, he spent a lot of time at Burning Tree Country Club. It didn’t seem like he came back to Ohio all that often.
Later he came back to Ohio to oppose pro-labor candidates and support Republicans, the place where he should have been his entire career.
While the book had it’s disturbing bias, it covered a long period of Ohio political history including Cleveland’s race history, labor issues, Issue 2/Right-to-Work, various elections over those decades, how the various politicians raised up including Rhodes, various Tafts, and Voinovich.
But much of the book covered this self-serving fake who never understood labor and fought working on right-to-work, endorsing anti-union candidates, pay raises for city workers when he was a mayor, and every other opportunity he had to knock labor. Finally labor united and opposed Lausche, supporting Gilligan over him for U.S. Senate. Of course, Gilligan then lost in the general but was able to win the Governor’s mansion in the following big election.
The book also covered how Lausche was a fraud, not having any Ohio offices, missing committee meetings and hearing because he was often golfing with the wealthy (special interests) and other senators. He beat to his own drum, not having a strong relationship with others. Evidently, he spent a lot of time at Burning Tree Country Club. It didn’t seem like he came back to Ohio all that often.
Later he came back to Ohio to oppose pro-labor candidates and support Republicans, the place where he should have been his entire career.
October 23, 2014
The author provides a well researched biography on a true, honorable man who served the State of Ohio as Mayor of Cleveland, Governor and U.S. Senator. This man was beholding to no one, except his moral compass. This was a good man, and makes you wonder what our country would be like if we have political representatives with his focus on doing the right thing above all other interests.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews