Clara Weisenborn | |
|---|---|
| Member of theOhio Senate from the5th district | |
| In office January 3, 1967 – December 31, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Inaugural holder |
| Succeeded by | Neal Zimmers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1907-02-09)February 9, 1907 |
| Died | January 26, 1985(1985-01-26) (aged 77) |
| Party | Republican |
Clara E. Weisenborn (February 9, 1907 – January 26, 1985) was aRepublican Ohio politician who served in theOhio General Assembly. Born inDayton, Weisenborn was ajournalist by trade for theJournal Herald, a prominent Dayton newspaper. She was initially elected to theOhio House of Representatives in 1952 and served seven consecutive terms in the House. In 1966, Weisenborn was elected to theOhio Senate, following theVoting Rights Act of 1965. She was reelected to a second term in 1970.
An advocate forwomen's rights, Weisenborn challenged and was critical of the fact that no women served as committee chairs in the Ohio legislature.[3] Ultimately, she became one of the first, as chair of the Senate Education Committee.
By 1974, the Fifth Senate District was equally distributed amongRepublicans andDemocrats, and Weisenborn was considered vulnerable in her bid for a third term. She was challenged byNeal Zimmers, who was an attorney in Dayton.[4] Ultimately, Weisenborn lost the election, in a year where Democrats took control of both houses of the state legislature.[5] In all, Weisenborn served twenty two years as a legislator.
Following her time in elected office, Weisenborn returned to Dayton where she remained active in gardening and her localhistorical society, as well as championing many park districts throughout theMiami Valley. She died in 1985.
Weisenborn Middle School in the Dayton suburb ofHuber Heights is named in her honor.