Jennette Bradley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 62nd Lieutenant Governor of Ohio | |
| In office January 13, 2003 – January 5, 2005 | |
| Governor | Bob Taft |
| Preceded by | Maureen O'Connor |
| Succeeded by | Bruce E. Johnson |
| 45thTreasurer of Ohio | |
| In office January 5, 2005 – January 8, 2007 | |
| Governor | Bob Taft |
| Preceded by | Joe Deters |
| Succeeded by | Richard Cordray |
| Columbus City Council | |
| In office 1991–2002 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1952-10-02)October 2, 1952 (age 72) Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Michael C. Taylor |
| Alma mater | Wittenberg University |
| Profession | Politician |
Jennette B. Bradley (born October 2, 1952) is anAmericanpolitician of theRepublican party and served as the 62ndlieutenant governor of Ohio from 2003 to 2005 andOhio State Treasurer from 2005 to 2007. Bradley was the first African American woman elected to statewide office in Ohio.
Bradley was born inColumbus, Ohio. Her family settled in a neighborhood on Columbus' east side after her father retired from theUnited States Army. After graduating fromEast High School in 1970, Bradley attendedWittenberg University inSpringfield, Ohio and earned a degree in psychology.[1]
Bradley took a job with the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority. She became the first black woman to serve as the executive director of the Authority when she was 28 years old.[1][2] In 1986, Bradley moved to Washington, D.C. She returned to Columbus in 1989 and worked as a senior executive forHuntington National Bank.[1]
Bradley entered the 1991 Columbus City Council race as aRepublican candidate. She was reelected in 1995 and 1999. During her tenure she was chair of City Council's Recreation and Parks and Public Utilities committees. She resigned from the council when she became Lieutenant Governor in 2003.[3]
In 2002Governor Bob Taft announced he had chosen Bradley to replaceMaureen O'Connor as his running mate. Many conservatives did not support Bradley because she waspro-choice. Critics of the Taft-Bradley ticket were also concerned about her City Council vote to extend city workers' health care benefits to includedomestic partners andsame-sex couples.[3] Bradley was then criticized for having later voted against this legislation.
Taft and Bradley won the race with approximately 58% of the vote. Bradley became the third female lieutenant governor of Ohio and the first African-American woman elected to the office. She also became the first black female lieutenant governor of any U.S. state.[1]
After taking office, Bradley was appointed by Taft to head theOhio Department of Commerce, theClean Ohio Council, and the Ohio Housing Finance Agency.[3] In 2004, the governor also appointed Bradley to the "Jobs Cabinet." Following the resignation ofJoseph T. Deters as state treasurer, Taft appointed Bradley to the post, effective January 2005. She resigned as lieutenant governor before taking her new post[4] However, Bradley was defeated by conservativeTea Party-backedAshtabula County AuditorSandra O'Brien in the May 2006 Republican primary election.[5]
In 2016, Bradley was among the 9 people chosen from over 100 candidates to serve on a committee to review the charter of the Columbus City Council.[6]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forLieutenant Governor of Ohio 2002 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Ohio 2003–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ohio State Treasurer 2005–2007 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
