Upper Arlington in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
C. William O'Neill
1916-1978
— Speaker of the House, Governor, Chief Justice —
C. William O'Neill is the only person elected to the highest office in all three branches of Ohio government, having served as Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, Governor, and Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court.
O'Neill was born in Marietta, and in 1938 he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Marietta College. That same year he was elected as the youngest member in state history to the Ohio House of Representatives, where he served until 1950. In 1942 he graduated from the College of Law at The Ohio State University.
In 1950 O'Neill became the youngest person to serve as Ohio's Attorney General. In 1957 he became governor of Ohio and was intsrumental in establishing the Interstate Highway System in the state. He was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 1960 and served as Chief Justice from 1970 until his death in 1978. During his tenure as Chief Justice, he presided over implementation of the modern courts amendment to the Ohio Constitution.
Throughout his life in public service, he remained active in programs and politics including the Buckeye Boys State and Buckeye Girls State programs and the Hi-Y youth in government programs. A life long supporter of the Ohio State University, he also served a term as president of the Ohio State Alumni Association.
Erected 1990 by Upper Arlington Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. A significant historical year for this entry is 1938.
Location. 40° 1.881′ N, 83° 3.082′ W. Marker is in Upper Arlington, Ohio, in Franklin County. Marker is at the intersection of Tremont Road and Kenny Road, on the right when traveling north on Tremont Road. The marker is at the Wall of Honor at the Upper Arlington municipal services building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3600 Tremont Rd, Columbus OH 43220, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Roy A. Burkhart PHD, DD (here, next to this marker); Howard Dwight Smith (here, next to this marker); Walter B. Heischman (here, next to this marker); John Wilmer Galbreath (here, next to this marker); Robert S. Crane, Jr. (here, next to this marker); John W. "Pat" Wuichet, Sr. (here, next to this marker); Monsignor George J. Kennedy (here, next to this marker); Frederick R. Taylor (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Upper Arlington.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 14, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 5, 2023, by Mark Moxley-Knapp of Columbus, Ohio. This page has been viewed 47 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 5, 2023, by Mark Moxley-Knapp of Columbus, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.