Jim Rhodes

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Governor James Rhodes

This article is about Jim Rhodes, the American politician. For the comic book character of the same name, see War Machine.

James Allen Rhodes (September 13, 1909 – March 4, 2001) was an American Republican politician from Ohio, and as of 2006 one of only five U.S. state governors to serve four four-year terms in office. As governor, he decided to send National Guard troops to Kent State University in 1970 to quell disturbances there, leading to the Kent State shootings.

Born in Coalton, Ohio, Rhodes served as mayor of Columbus, Ohio from 1944-1952. He was elected State Auditor in 1952, taking office in early 1953. He served in that office until being elected governor in 1962 (he had already lost runs for the office twice - once in the primary in 1950 and once in the general election in 1954). Rhodes served two terms as governor - he also sought the Republican nomination for the presidency in 1964 and 1968, but fell well short each time - before retiring in 1971. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 1970, losing the primary election to Robert Taft, Jr. which was two days after the events at Kent State.

At a news conference in Kent, Ohio, Sunday May 3, 1970, the day before the Kent State incident he said of campus protesters, "They're worse than the brownshirts and the communist element and also the nightriders and the vigilantes. They're the worst type of people that we harbor in America. I think that we're up against the strongest, well-trained, militant, revolutionary group that has ever assembled in America."

The Ohio Constitution limits the governor to two four-year terms, so when Rhodes initially filed to run again in 1974, his petitions were refused by the Secretary of State. Rhodes sued and the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the limitation was on consecutive terms, thus freeing him to return to office in the 1974 election, narrowly defeating incumbent John Gilligan. He served two more terms before retiring again in 1983. He sought to run for the governorship again in 1986, seeking a record-breaking fifth term, but lost to the incumbent Richard F. Celeste.

Rhodes died in Columbus March 4, 2001 and is interred at Greenlawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio. The James A. Rhodes State Office Tower, which is the tallest building in Columbus and the former home of the Ohio Supreme Court, is named in his honor.

Preceded by Floyd F. Green	Mayor of Columbus 1944–1952	Succeeded by Robert Theodore Oestreicher
Preceded by Joseph T. Ferguson	Ohio State Auditor 1953–1963	Succeeded by Roger W. Tracy Jr.
Preceded by Michael DiSalle	Governor of Ohio 1963–1971	Succeeded by John J. Gilligan
Preceded by John J. Gilligan	Governor of Ohio 1975–1983	Succeeded by Dick Celeste