Ohio's Presidents

Ohio still holds the title as Mother of Presidents. But after administrations marked by scandal, tragedy and mediocrity, the rest of the nation said eight is enough, and it's been more than eighty years since the last Ohioan occupied the White House.

Ohio presidential candidates made historic marks on politics, including "the front-porch campaign" of Canton’s William McKinley and slogans such as "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too." But Buckeye headed presidential tickets have died out with the front porch's popularity, a trend not even space hero John Glenn could reverse.

Four Ohio presidents died in office, two had scandal-marred administrations, and one - Cincinnati's William Howard Taft - is often remembered as the nation's heaviest president, so big that a special bathtub was needed for him in the White House.

Still, with eight presidents (seven of them native sons) coming from Ohio from 1840 to 1920, the state's record is impressive. The debate with Virginia continues as they claim eight presidents too.

Since the early days of the republic, Ohioans have dramatically shaped the political landscape of the United States and in an 80-year stretch ending in 1920; Ohioans won 10 of 21 presidential elections.

William Henry Harrison was elected the ninth president in 1840; Ulysses S. Grant, 18th president, 1868 and 1872; Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th president, 1876; James A. Garfield, 20th president, 1880; Benjamin Harrison, 23rd president, 1888; William H. McKinley, 25th president, 1896 and 1900; Taft, 27th president, 1908; and Warren G. Harding, 29th president, 1920.

Stay tuned as there's more to this story.