Cloud was local politician who died in 1976, at the age of 41.
Cloud started his political career as a Wayne Twp. trustee before deciding to run for County Commissioner.
In 1968, he was the highest vote-getter, upsetting a Democrat to win a seat as a county commissioner. The election propelled him as a dominant force in local politics. He won re-election overwhelmingly in 1972.
During his time as commissioner, Cloud once made a special trip to Washington, D.C., to testify before a House committee to urge them to act quickly to get HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) money to developer Donald Huber.
Cloud then stepped into statewide politics in 1974, deciding to run for state auditor. He lost a race in the May 1975 Republican primary for auditor, the only loss in his political career.
After the election, Cloud then took over as Montgomery County Administrator in December 1975.
According to a 1976 Dayton Journal-Herald story, Cloud was working at “full tilt” and was “pushing himself too hard,” when he had a heart attack and died at the age of 41, just a few months after becoming county administrator.
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