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University Microfilms international 300 N. Z eeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 8305352 Larson, David Richard OHIO’S FIGHTING LIBERAL: A POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN J. GILLIGAN The Ohio State University Ph.D. 1982 University Microfilms I nternstione! soon. Zeet Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Copyright 1982 by Larson, David Richard All Rights Reserved OHIO'S FIGHTING LIBERAL: A POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN J. GILLIGAN DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By David Richard Larson, B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1982 Reading Committee: Approved By Professor K. Austin Kerr Professor John C, Burnham Professor Harry L. Coles Adviser Department of History Dedicated to my Mother, Esther Crampton Larson and to my Father, Richard Andrew Larson 1 1 PREFACE The dominant political figures in Ohio during the 1960's and 1970's were the two persons who served as governor during this twenty year period, James A. Rhodes and John J. Gilligan. Rhodes continued the long conser vative tradition of state government and politics, while Gilligan led the first successful liberal challenge to the prevailing conservatism since World War I. This study is a full life examination of John Gilligan's political career from 1953 to 1979. The focus of the biography is on poli tical events, with balanced treatment of Gilligan's long tenure on Cincinnati City Council, 1953-1964 and 1968-1970; his term as a United States Congressman, 1965-1966; his role in reforming the Ohio Democratic Party, including his campaigns for United States Senate and for Governor, 1967- 1970; his term as Governor of Ohio, 1971-1974; and his position in the Carter Presidential Administration, 1977- 1979. The portion of the study dealing with the guberna torial years centers on the political aspects of the Gover nor's Office, not on the governmental history of the administration. 1X1 The primary research materials relating to the Gilligan administration were acquired by the Ohio Histor ical Society from 1973 to 1975. The collection includes a large body of material in the form of manuscripts, oral histories, state archival records, printed government documents, and autovisual materials. The collection stands as the most comprehensive documentation of a governor's term ever assembled by an archival agency in the United States. The Gilligan project sponsored by the Ohio Historical Society, which I directed, was fostered by Gilligan's personal attitude that the workings of govern ment should be documented for public scrutiny. His un usual cooperation towards research should be a model for all future Ohio governors. In footnoting this study,. I have used the guideline of citing first to oral history interviews of persons who were participants in the events being interpreted. This meant that I often had secondary accounts of the same events, usually in the form of newspaper articles, but did not reference them if the oral histories were available. Normally, I did not cite any information that was not verified by at least three or more oral history respondents. Foremost, I sincerely thank John J. Gilligan, whose foresight and keen sense of history led to his complete cooperation in donating all his materials for permanent preservation and in granting me unrestricted access to the iv materials. Particularly helpful in the Governor's Office during 1973-1974, when most of the project was conducted, were Robert Daley and John Hansan. I am greatful to each of the 103 persons whom I interviewed for the oral history collection. I personally interviewed John Gilligan on eighteen different occasions, while he was Governor, usually in the evenings or Saturday mornings at the Governor's Mansion. Daniel Porter, the dynamic Director of the Ohio His torical Society from 1965-1974, provided his usual excellent support. Gerald Newborg conducted interviews and super vised the acquisition of the manuscripts material- Thomas Rieder arranged the material and wrote an excellent inven tory to the entire collection. Dr. Austin Kerr, my dissertation advisor at Ohio State University, provided -very helpful guidance throughout the writing of this dissertation; Barbara Six, my secretary, patiently typed the copy; and my wife, Sara, supplied need ed encouragement. David R. Larson Columbus, Ohio November 1982 VITA May 30, 1942........ Born - Columbus, Ohio 1964................ B.A., Hanover College, Hanover, Indiana 1966................ M.A., Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 1966-1975 Division Chief, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio 1976-1977 .......... Member Franklin County Board of Elections and Executive Director, Franklin County Democratic Party, Columbus, Ohio 1978-1982 .......... President, Archival Systems, Columbus, Ohio FIELDS OF STUDY American Political and Economic History Since 1880. Professor K. Austin Kerr American Social and Intellectual History Since 1880. Professor Robert H. Bremner Twentieth Century Europe. Professor Myron W. Hedlin American Urban Politics. Professor William E. Nelson VI TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE......................... iii VITA ..................... • vi Chapter I. PUPIL TO PROFESSOR, 1921-1952 ............................ 1 II. CINCINNATI CITY COUNCIL, 1953-1964 ............................ 24 III. LEGISLATING THE GREAT SOCIETY, 1965-1966 . ........................ 62 IV. REFORMING THE OHIO DEMOCRATIC PARTY, 1967-1970 97 V. LIBERALIZING STATE GOVERNMENT, 1971-1972 ............................ 147 VI. THE STRUGGLE TO CONSOLIDATE POWER, 1973-1974 ............................ 201 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................. 265 V I 1 CHAPTER ONE — PUPIL TO PROFESSOR, 1921-1952 John Joyce Gilligan's forceful personality and liberal ideology, known to millions of Cincinnatians and Ohioans during his twenty-five years of public office, were deeply influenced by his affluent Irish family and his strict Catholic education and religious training. Although Gilligan, born in 1921, grew up in Cincinnati during the Great Depression, his family lived a financially comfort able life very immune from the hardships affecting so many of their contemporaries. He attended private schools, went to an expensive summer camp, and vacationed at the family's second home in upper Michigan. His upbringing was very similar to the upper class, aristocratic childhood of the wealthy children of any large city during the 1920's and 1930's. After graduation from a Catholic college, he was expected to follow the career path of three generations of older Gilligan sons as the head of Cincinnati's most prestigious Catholic funeral business. However, John Gilligan's extensive combat experiences in World War II and the intellectual challenge of one of his college professors awakened a deeply felt compulsion to forge an independent path. The conflict between his loyalty to family tradition and his personal quest for a meaningful life characterized his early adulthood. FAMILY BACKGROUND John Gilligan was the fourth generation of an Irish family that had settled in Cincinnati during the 1840's. Gilligan's great grandfather started work as a hack driver, then began a funeral business serving the fami lies of the growing number of Irish immigrants. His son, who continued running the funeral business, married an ■ Irish woman whose family owned a very successful game and fish store. The funeral business grew and Gilligan's grandparents were part of the first group of prominent Catholic families in Cincinnati. They had a large home on the near west side and a summer home eight miles away on the hilltop. Gilligan's grandfather was appointed to. the original boards of directors of both the Kroger Company and the Provident Bank.^ Gilligan's grandmother and grandfather both played important roles in his early childhood. His paternal grandmother was the dominant force in the family. Physi cally a big woman, she dressed rather grandly with Queen Mary hats and full length mink coats. A socially active person, she loved to bet on the race horses and play the stock market. She invested a considerable amount of money in a number of infant companies and a sizable part of the family income came out of her investments.