Othniel Looker

Othniel Looker (October 4, 1757 – July 23, 1845) was a Democratic-Republican Party politician from Ohio. He served briefly as the fifth governor of Ohio.

Othniel Looker
5th Governor of Ohio
In office
March 24, 1814 – December 8, 1814
Preceded byReturn J. Meigs Jr.
Succeeded byThomas Worthington
Speaker of the Ohio Senate
In office
December 6, 1813 – December 4, 1814
Preceded byThomas Kirker
Succeeded byThomas Kirker
Ohio Senate
from Hamilton County
In office
1810 – 1812
1813–1817
Preceded byHezekiah Price(1810)
Stephen Wood (1810)
John Jones (1813)
Francis McCormick (1813)
Succeeded byJohn Jones (1812)
Francis McCormick (1812)
Ephraim Brown (1817)
George P. Torrence (1817)
Ohio House of Representatives
from Hamilton County
In office
1807–1810
New York State Assembly
In office
1803–1804
Personal details
Born(1757-10-04)October 4, 1757
New York or New Jersey
DiedJuly 23, 1845(1845-07-23) (aged 87)
Palestine, Illinois

Biography

Sources vary on Looker's birth location. He was born either in Morris County, New Jersey,[1] or on Long Island, New York.[2][3] His gravestone was engraved with the Morris County location.[4]

Locker moved with his mother to Hanover Township, New Jersey, when he was two-years-old, after the death of his father.[5] He enlisted with the New Jersey militia in 1776, and served out the remainder of the American Revolutionary War as a private.

In 1779, Looker married Pamela Clark, and circa 1788 Looker moved to Vermont and then to New York, working as a school teacher.[2]

Career

He served in the New York State Assembly from 1803 to 1804. After receiving a land grant for his war services, Looker moved to Hamilton County, Ohio in 1804, and served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1807 to 1810. He served in the Ohio 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-Governor Return J. Meigs Jr. resigned to become Postmaster General.[2] Looker sought re-election, but was badly defeated by the far more well-known Thomas Worthington. He continued to live in Ohio until his wife's death, and later moved to Palestine, Illinois, to be with his daughter Rachel Kitchell, and he is buried there in Kitchell Cemetery. Looker was the Ohio presidential elector in 1816 for James Monroe.[6]

Legacy
Looker's home

The Village Historical Society, in Harrison, Ohio, has restored the home of former Ohio Governor Othniel Looker. The Othniel 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 the National Register of Historic Places.[7]

References
  1. Sons of the Revolution Ohio Society (1893). The constitution of the Society of Sons of the Revolution and by-laws and articles of incorporation of the Ohio Society incorporated May 2, 1893, instituted May 9, 1893. Cincinnati. p. 41. hdl:2027/hvd.hx4mch. OCLC 893936261 – via Google Books.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. Othniel Looker at Ohio History Central
  3. "Former Governors' Bios: Ohio Governor Othneil Looker". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016.
  4. MacAlpine, Heath (October 18, 2008). "Memorial ID 21701 photo 21701_122434695349". Find a Grave (Photograph). Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  5. "Othniel Looker". Ohio Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  6. Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 ... Vol. 1. State of Ohio. p. 102.
  7. "Gov. Othniel Looker House". Oxford Visitor's and Convention Bureau. Archived from the original on November 27, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
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