James A. Rhodes Ohio Colossus by Tom Diemer, Lee Leonard, Richard G. Zimmerman (review)

Coming from humble beginnings as a coal miner’s son in Coalton, Ohio, James A. Rhodes held various political positions en route to the governor’s office. He served sixteen years as a Republican governor (1963–1971–1975–1983), becoming one of Ohio’s most influential, yet controversial, politicians. Written by three former Columbus journalists, Ohio Colossus assesses and analyzes the life and political career of Rhodes. Previous scholarship on the longest-tenured governor has been limited to Rhodes’s involvement during campus unrest at Kent State University. Recently, there has been a focus to evaluate Rhodes’s career as a whole. The earliest biography of Rhodes came out in 2005 by Byrl Shoemaker and provides a compassionate view of the governor. Ohio Colossus is the first academic publication that focuses on Rhodes’s accomplishments and failures during his political career. The book chronicles Rhodes’s four terms as governor, his unsuccessful 1970 senatorial bid versus “Mr. Republican” Robert Taft Jr., and his defeat to Democrat Richard Celeste in the gubernatorial election of 1986.

Inaugurated to Ohio’s highest public office in 1963, Rhodes paid homage to Robert Frost when he told Ohioans: “I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep” (54). As someone who loved his state and constituents—which is substantiated throughout the book and evidenced by his carpet featuring the Great Seal of Ohio, Rhodes worked tirelessly for Ohioans, ensuring that they had better lives. Despite not having a college education himself, Rhodes advocated for higher education and worked to make education accessible for all Ohioans. Throughout his political career, Rhodes touted “Jobs and Progress.” He believed that jobs could eradicate social problems. As a go-getter looking after his state’s best interest, Rhodes secured the Honda Motorcycle Plant in 1977 for central Ohio, one of his most significant accomplishments. The plant employs nearly 14,000 workers today (98). Faced with the continued decrease in manufacturing jobs in steel towns like Youngstown, Rhodes delivered an emotional speech entitled “No Christmas in Youngstown.” As a persistent critic, he held the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responsible for the increase in unemployment. His detest for the EPA is ironic, considering he later envisioned an Environmental City with impeccable air quality.

One of the events that stained Governor Rhodes’s record was what transpired at Kent State. Rather than providing a blow-by-blow account of the Kent State shootings by the Ohio National Guard, the authors focus attention on how the event affected the senatorial election between Ohio’s Republican juggernauts, Rhodes and Taft, the day after. Rhodes tough stance on campus unrest resonated with Ohio voters, enabling him to narrow a large gap with his opponent. Even though he ended up losing the election, the governor’s response to the disturbances at Kent State did not negatively impact his election.

The chapter on Kent State could be enhanced by incorporating significant scholarship on the Kent State shootings. The authors consult only two early sources written on the event (Joe Eszterhas and Michael Roberts’s 13 Seconds: Confrontation at Kent State and James Michener’s Kent State: What Happened and Why). The President’s Commission on Campus Unrest is not utilized. The authors’ portrayal of the Ohio National Guardsmen firing on the students “very likely without specific orders” (64) ignores 2009 evidence that revealed a direct order by the guard to “fire.” While the former reporters rightfully discuss the 1979 civil suit lawsuit awarding $675,000 to victims’ families, the statement of regret, and the governor who declared May 4, 1970 as “the most sorrowful day of my life”(110) years later, this information would be better placed within the Kent chapter as opposed to later. While Rhodes struggled to talk about controversies (as the authors make it known), he also cared for how people would remember him. The discussion of his role at Kent State raises questions. How did Rhodes come to...