Ohio's first female House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson remembered as a trailblazer and legend

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The late Jo Ann Davidson, Ohio’s first and only female House speaker, was remembered during a Statehouse memorial service Thursday for blazing trails for women with grit, grace and a guiding spirit. Dozens of the Republican women she had mentored wore red in her honor, splashing the packed atrium with her signature “power color.”

Davidson, who died Friday at 97, had been a force in state and national Republican politics for nearly 60 years. Besides her time as a powerful House speaker, she served as an adviser and campaign consultant to presidents and governors and as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.

"Jo Ann fought for her place in politics at a time when politics was dominated by men," Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told the crowd of current and former elected officials, journalists, party leaders, and politicos of several generations. "She made her place through grit, determination, hard work, tenacity, integrity and a belief in herself, and she wanted other women to believe in themselves, as well."

"All of us have lost a true Ohio legend, a trailblazer, a leader, a role model, friend, deeply devoted public servant,” DeWine said.

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce said she was among the many aspiring candidates whom Davidson nurtured. That was before she established the Jo Ann Davidson Ohio Leadership Institute, a Columbus-based training center for women in business and politics through which Davidson guided some 400 women.

“She lived by example, and that example included a unique ability to bring people together regardless of their politics," Pryce said. “In her way of thinking, there is power in collaboration and unity. That was my cup of tea. I always wanted to be exactly like her.”

Her granddaughter, Emily Enslen, said Davidson wasn't your typical grandmother.

“She arrived to my soccer games in a BMW convertible, she took golf carts around political conventions, she outpaced my entire family at Disney World, she got an iPhone before all of us grandkids and she brought many gifts and stories from interesting places,” Enslen said.

Before the service, Davidson lay in state for several hours in the Statehouse Rotunda, the only woman ever to do so. The honor has been bestowed on only 10 people in state history, including Abraham Lincoln. The last person to lie in state was former astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn in 2016.

Former Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery, a close friend, said Davidson was a member of the Greatest Generation — with older brothers who fought in World War II — and their constant ribbing helped her develop her taste for competitive politics.

“She was tough, she was tactical, she was strategic, she loved a good fight and, more importantly than anything, she loved to win," Montgomery said.

Montgomery described Davidson's efforts in quelling disunity in the Ohio House as fearless and creative. Sometimes she offered a calming word, sometimes a stern warning, and sometimes she shot you “the look.”

President George W. Bush personally persuaded Davidson to co-chair the RNC, Montgomery said. Davidson headed his regional reelection effort in 2004 and helped him to a crucial Ohio victory over Democrat John Kerry to win the White House. She also ran the successful 2002 campaign of Ohio Gov. Bob Taft and served as a close adviser to then-Gov. John Kasich, both Republicans.

Both Kasich and Taft served as honorary pallbearers at Thursday's service. Nancy Hollister, a former state representative and lieutenant governor who served briefly as Ohio's only female governor, also attended, as did first lady Fran DeWine, former first lady Hope Taft, and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and his wife, Tina.

Montgomery recalled how Davidson's life in politics began in 1965, when she ran and lost a race for the all-male Reynoldsburg City Council. She regrouped, worked hard and won the seat two years later, spending the next 10 years in the role.

In 1980, she was appointed to the Ohio House, where she would build a reputation over 20 years for hard work, team-building and smarts. Fellow lawmakers elected her the first female speaker in 1994. She led the chamber until retiring due to term limits in 2001.

Alongside her legislative service, she rose to become vice president of special programs for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, earning herself a corner office. At one point, Montgomery said, the chamber's attorney suggested he, not she, should have the office — but the female secretarial staff told her it was as important to them as it was to her. So she kept it.