As Offered
135th General Assembly
Regular Session H. R. No. 597
2023-2024
Speaker Stephens, Representatives Russo, Brown, Abdullahi, Abrams, Baker,
Barhorst, Bird, Blackshear, Brennan, Brent, Brewer, Callender, Carruthers,
Claggett, Click, Creech, Cross, Daniels, Dean, Dell'Aquila, Demetriou, Denson,
Dobos, Edwards, Ferguson, Fischer, Forhan, Fowler Arthur, Ghanbari, Grim,
Gross, Hall, Hillyer, Holmes, Hoops, Humphrey, Isaacsohn, Jarrells, John,
Johnson, Jones, Kick, King, Klopfenstein, Lampton, LaRe, Lear, Lipps, Liston,
Lorenz, Loychik, Manchester, Manning, Mathews, McClain, McNally, Merrin, Miller,
A., Miller, J., Miller, K., Miller, M., Mohamed, Oelslager, Patton, Pavliga, Peterson,
Piccolantonio, Pizzulli, Plummer, Powell, Ray, Richardson, Robb Blasdel,
Robinson, Roemer, Rogers, Santucci, Schmidt, Seitz, Sims, Skindell, Somani,
Stein, Stewart, Stoltzfus, Swearingen, Sweeney, Thomas, C., Thomas, J., Troy,
Upchurch, Weinstein, White, Whitted, Wiggam, Williams, Willis, Young, T.
A RESOLUTION
In memory of Jo Ann Davidson.
WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the 135th 1
General Assembly of Ohio were deeply saddened to learn of the death of 2
Jo Ann Davidson and pay tribute to her memory; and 3
WHEREAS, Jo Ann Davidson will be remembered fondly by all those 4
who knew her, and her absence will leave an irreparable void in our 5
society. Widely respected for her tenure with the Ohio General 6
Assembly, she was an advocate for the growth and progress of the State 7
of Ohio and its people, and over the course of her twenty years as a 8
legislator, she served the Ohio House of Representatives as minority 9
whip and minority leader before making history by becoming the first 10
female Speaker of the House, a role she held from 1995 through 2000. 11
Indeed, her tremendous integrity earned her the appreciation of her 12
H. R. No. 597 Page 2
As Offered
colleagues and her constituents alike; and 13
WHEREAS, Jo Ann Davidson’s passion for community service was 14
always evident in her own approach to public life, and prior to her 15
legendary devotion to the Ohio General Assembly, she was an 16
outstanding member of the Reynoldsburg City Council and a clerk for 17
Truro Township. In addition, she dedicated her time to such 18
organizations as The Ohio State University, the University of Findlay, 19
and Franklin University boards of trustees, the Western and Southern 20
Financial Group Board of Directors, the Franklin County Republican 21
Central and Republican National committees, and The Jo Ann Davidson 22
Ohio Leadership Institute. Jo Ann Davidson received numerous awards, 23
and she was admired by her fellow citizens, friends, and family alike 24
for her positive philosophy of life as well as for establishing a 25
stalwart legacy to our state that will surely live on; and 26
WHEREAS, Without question, Jo Ann Davidson made the world much 27
fuller, and she was especially devoted to the individuals who had a 28
treasured relationship with her, including her husband, the late John, 29
her children, Jenifer and the late Julie, and her grandchildren, 30
Maxwell, Taylor, Emily, and the late Alexander. All those who 31
cherished her can find strength and solace in the happy moments shared 32
with this great woman. Most assuredly, the State of Ohio has benefited 33
exponentially from her life’s work, and she will be remembered for her 34
visionary example of citizenship; therefore be it 35
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of Representatives of 36
the 135th General Assembly of Ohio, in adopting this Resolution, offer 37
our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Jo Ann Davidson 38
and express a profound sense of loss and sincere regret on the 39
sorrowful occasion of her death; and be it further 40
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit 41
a duly authenticated copy of this Resolution to the family of Jo Ann 42
Davidson. 43