Othniel Looker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 5th Governor of Ohio | |
| In office March 24, 1814 – December 8, 1814 | |
| Preceded by | Return J. Meigs Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Worthington |
| Speaker of the Ohio Senate | |
| In office December 6, 1813 – December 4, 1814 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Kirker |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Kirker |
| Ohio Senate fromHamilton County | |
| In office 1810 – 1812 1813–1817 | |
| Preceded by | Hezekiah Price(1810) Stephen Wood (1810) John Jones (1813) Francis McCormick (1813) |
| Succeeded by | John Jones (1812) Francis McCormick (1812) Ephraim Brown (1817) George P. Torrence (1817) |
| Ohio House of Representatives fromHamilton County | |
| In office 1807–1810 | |
| New York State Assembly | |
| In office 1803–1804 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1757-10-04)October 4, 1757 |
| Died | July 23, 1845(1845-07-23) (aged 87) |
Othniel Looker (October 4, 1757 – July 23, 1845) was aDemocratic-Republican Party politician fromOhio. He served briefly as the fifthgovernor of Ohio.
Sources vary on Looker's birth location. He was born either inMorris County, New Jersey,[1] or onLong Island, New York.[2][3] His gravestone was engraved with the Morris County location.[4]
Looker moved with his mother toHanover Township, New Jersey, when he was two-years-old, after the death of his father.[5] He enlisted with theNew Jersey militia in 1776, and served out the remainder of theAmerican Revolutionary War as aprivate.
In 1779, Looker married Pamela Clark, and circa 1788 Looker moved toVermont and then toNew York, working as a school teacher.[2]
He served in theNew York State Assembly from 1803 to 1804. After receiving a land grant for his war services, Looker moved toHamilton County, Ohio in 1804, and served in theOhio House of Representatives from 1807 to 1810. He served in theOhio Senate from 1810 to 1817.[2]
While serving as Speaker of the Ohio Senate from 1813 to 1814, Looker was concurrently elevated to the governorship, after then-GovernorReturn J. Meigs Jr. resigned to becomePostmaster General.[2]Looker sought re-election, but was badly defeated by the far more well-knownThomas Worthington. He continued to live in Ohio until his wife's death, and later moved toPalestine, Illinois, to be with his daughter Rachel Kitchell, and he is buried there in Kitchell Cemetery. Looker was the Ohiopresidential elector in 1816 forJames Monroe.[6]
The Village Historical Society, inHarrison, Ohio, has restored the home of former Ohio Governor Othniel Looker. TheOthniel Looker House is open to the public, free of charge, on a few dates during each year, and special tours can be arranged for school groups. The Othniel Looker House is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[7]
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Media related toOthniel Looker at Wikimedia Commons
