Othniel Looker
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Othniel Looker[1] (October 4, 1757 - July 23, 1845) was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served briefly as the 5th Governor of Ohio.
[edit] Early life
Looker was born on Long Island. He moved with his mother to Hanover, New Jersey after the death of his father. He enlisted with the New Jersey militia in 1776 and served out the remainder of the war as a Private. Looker moved to Vermont and then to New York, working as a school-teacher.
[edit] Later life
He served in the New York State Assembly from 1803-1804. After receiving a land grant for his war services, Looker moved to Harrison (Hamilton County), Ohio in 1804, and served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1807-1810. He served in the Ohio State Senate from 1810-1817. While serving as Speaker of the Senate from 1813-1814, Looker was concurrently elevated to the governorship after Governor Return J. Meigs, Jr. resigned to become Postmaster General. Looker sought re-election but was badly defeated by the far more well-known Thomas Worthington. He continued to live in Ohio until his wife's death, and later moved to Palestine, Illinois to be with his daughter Rachel Kitchell, and is buried there in Kitchell Cemetery.
The Village Historical Society in Harrison, Ohio, has restored the home of Ohio Governor Othniel Looker. The Othniel Looker House is now open to the public, free of admission, on a few dates during the year, and special tours can be arranged for school groups. The Othniel Looker House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Kirker |
Speaker of the Ohio Senate 1813-12-06 – 1814-12-04 |
Succeeded by Thomas Kirker |
| Preceded by Return J. Meigs, Jr. |
Governor of Ohio 1814-03-24 – 1814-12-08 |
Succeeded by Thomas Worthington |
| Ohio House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by John Jones Hezekiah Price Ethan Stone |
Representative from Hamilton County 1807–1810 Served alongside: Zebulon Foster, John Jones (1807–1808) James Clark, William Perry (1808–1809) James Clark, William Ludlow (1809–1810) |
Succeeded by Peter Bell John Jones Samuel McHenry |
| Ohio Senate | ||
| Preceded by Hezekiah Price Stephen Wood |
Senator from Hamilton County 1810–1812 Served alongside: Aaron Goforth, Elnathan Stone, Stephen Wood |
Succeeded by John Jones Francis McCormick |
| Preceded by John Jones Francis McCormick |
Senator from Hamilton County 1813–1817 Served alongside: Ephraim Brown (1816–1817), John Jones (1813–1816) |
Succeeded by Ephraim Brown George P. Torrence |
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