John J. Gilligan
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John Joyce "Jack" Gilligan (born March 22, 1921) is a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Ohio who served as its 62nd governor.
Gilligan was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1943 and the University of Cincinnati in 1947, serving in between in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean. He was awarded a Silver Star for gallantry in action at Okinawa.
After the war, Gilligan returned to Cincinnati to teach literature at Xavier University. He served on the Cincinnati City Council from 1953-1963. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1964, serving from 1965-1967. Gilligan lost his re-election bid in 1966 to Republican Robert Taft Jr. after the Ohio General Assembly redrew his district to be more Republican. In 1968, Gilligan defeated sitting U.S. Senator Frank J. Lausche in the Democratic primary; howerver, he lost in the general election to Republican William B. Saxbe.
Gilligan won the election for the Governorship of Ohio in 1970, defeating Republican Roger Cloud, and serving from 1971-1975. Gilligan lost the governorship to Republican James A. Rhodes in a tight race in 1974. He subsequently served as the administrator of USAID from 1977-1979 and taught at the University of Notre Dame and elsewhere.
In 1999, at age 78, Gilligan was elected to the Board of Education of the Cincinnati Public Schools, an office he still serves in.
Gilligan is the father of Kathleen Sebelius, the current Governor of Kansas. They constitute the first father-daughter pair of governors in the United States
See also:
- Election Results, U.S. Representative from Ohio, 1st District
- Election Results, Ohio Governor
- Election Results, Ohio Governor (Democratic Primaries)
- Election Results, U.S. Senator from Ohio
- List of United States Representatives from Ohio
- List of Governors of Ohio
| Preceded by: James A. Rhodes | Governors of Ohio | Succeeded by: James A. Rhodes |