American politician
John William Donahey
(August 26, 1905 – March 2, 1967) was an American businessman, government official, and politician from
Ohio
. A
Democrat
, he was most notable for his service as the 53rd
lieutenant governor of Ohio
from 1959 to 1963.
A native of
New Philadelphia, Ohio
, and the son of Governor and U.S. Senator
A. Victor Donahey
, John Donahey attended
Ohio State University
and Cleveland College, and supplemented his education with professional development courses through the
American Institute of Banking
.
During his father's governorship, Donahey served as a clerk in the governor's office. In 1930, he married
Gertrude Walton
, who served as a senior staff member for U.S. Senator
Stephen M. Young
and as
Ohio State Treasurer
. From 1933 to 1951, Donahey was employed as a loan examiner with the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
.
In 1952, Donahey was an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senator. In 1954 and 1956, he ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer. In 1958, he was the successful Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor and he served from 1959 to 1963. In 1962, Donahey was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for state auditor. After leaving office, Donahey worked as the
Small Business Administration
's regional director for Ohio.
Donahey died at
Grant Hospital
in
Columbus, Ohio
, on March 5, 1967, after he suffered a heart attack while recovering from surgery. He was buried at East Avenue Cemetery in New Philadelphia.
Early life
[
edit
]
Donahey was born in
New Philadelphia, Ohio
, on August 26, 1905,
[2]
a son of
A. Victor Donahey
and Mary (Harvey) Donahey.
[3]
He was educated in the public schools of
Columbus
and New Philadelphia and was a 1926 graduate of
New Philadelphia High School
.
[4]
[5]
As a teenager and young man, Donahey worked at a variety of temporary jobs, including an assembly line job at an
Overland Automobile
factory in
Toledo
,
[6]
and crew member on a
lighthouse tender
that provided maintenance to facilities on the coast of
Central America
.
[7]
After high school, Donahey attended
Ohio State University
and Cleveland College, the adult education campus of
Western Reserve University
.
[8]
He later took professional development courses through the
American Institute of Banking
.
[8]
Start of career
[
edit
]
During his father's term as governor, Donahey served as the commission clerk in the governor's office.
[9]
He subsequently worked as a field supervisor for the Motorists’ Mutual Insurance Company of Columbus and the Donahey Insurance Agency.
[10]
Donahey married
Gertrude Walton
in 1930.
[3]
She was a longtime senior staff member for U.S. Senator
Stephen M. Young
, then served twelve years (1971-1983) as
Ohio State Treasurer
.
[11]
They were the parents of a son, John W. Donahey Jr. (1935-2006).
[12]
[13]
In 1933, Donahey joined the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
, where he worked as a loan examiner until 1951.
[12]
After leaving the RFC, Donahey was the founder and president of Poco Corporation.
[12]
Poco was a venture which conducted research and experimentation to identify new industrial, food, and farming uses for surplus grain.
[4]
Political career
[
edit
]
A
Democrat
in politics, Donahey was an unsuccessful candidate for
U.S. Senator
in 1952
.
[10]
He ran unsuccessfully for
state treasurer
in 1954 and again in 1956.
[10]
In 1958, Donahey ran successfully for lieutenant governor.
[10]
He served one term, 1959 to 1963.
[10]
As lieutenant governor, Donahey prioritized economy and low taxes, and set an example by returning to the state treasury part of the budget for his office at the end of each fiscal year.
[10]
In 1962, Donahey was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for
state auditor
.
[12]
After leaving office, Donahey worked as the
Small Business Administration
's regional director for Ohio.
[12]
Death and burial
[
edit
]
In February 1967, Donahey was admitted to
Grant Hospital
in Columbus, where he underwent surgery.
[10]
During his post-surgery recovery, Donahey suffered a fatal heart attack, and he died on March 2.
[10]
Donahey was buried at East Avenue Cemetery in New Philadelphia.
[3]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Haverstock, Mary Sayre, ed. (2000).
Artists in Ohio, 1787-1900: A Biographical Dictionary
. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press. p. 234.
ISBN
978-0-8733-8616-6
– via
Google Books
.
- ^
County News
. Vol. 10?11. Columbus, OH: County Commissioners Association of Ohio. 1958. p. 7 – via
Google Books
.
- ^
a
b
c
Byberry Walton Reunion Executive Committee (1989).
Byberry Waltons
. Vol. II. Decorah, IA: Anundsen Publishing. p. 365 – via
Google Books
.
- ^
a
b
"Ohio General Election, November 4, 1958: Lieutenant Governor; John W. Donahey"
.
Times Recorder
. Zanesville, OH. October 31, 1958. p. 3 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Senior Class (1926).
The Delphian
(PDF)
. New Philadelphia, OH: New Philadelphia High School. p. 40.
- ^
"Town Talk: John Donahey"
.
The Daily Times
. New Philadelphia, PA. September 5, 1922. p. 8 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"Donahey's Son Home"
.
The Cincinnati Enquirer
. Cincinnati, OH. September 11, 1926. p. 9 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
"First of 4 Biographical Sketches of Ohio Candidates in Primaries"
.
The Daily Advocate
. Greenville, OH. April 21, 1954. p. 5 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Hale, Harry S. (June 4, 1928).
"Side Lights of the Capital City: John Donahey"
.
The Union County Journal
. Marysville, OH. p. 2 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
"John Donahey Dies; Son of Ex-Governor"
.
The Cincinnati Enquirer
. Cincinnati, OH.
Associated Press
. March 4, 1967. p. 3 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"Funeral Scheduled for Former Treasurer"
.
Akron Beacon Journal
. Akron, OH.
Associated Press
. July 13, 2004. p. B6 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
"Ex-Lt. Gov. Donahey; SBA Columbus Chief"
.
Akron Beacon Journal
. Akron, OH. March 3, 1967. p. B8 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"Obituary, John Donahey, Jr"
.
Florida Today
. Viera, FL. February 27, 2006. p. 8B – via
Newspapers.com
.
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