Othniel Looker

Othniel Looker
5th Governor of Ohio
In office March 24, 1814 – December 8, 1814]
Preceded by	Return J. Meigs, Jr.
Succeeded by	Thomas Worthington
Speaker of the Ohio Senate
In office December 6, 1813 – December 4, 1814
Preceded by	Thomas Kirker
Succeeded by	Thomas Kirker
Ohio Senate from Hamilton County
In office 1810 – 1812 1813-1817
Preceded by	Hezekiah Price(1810) Stephen Wood (1810) John Jones (1813) Francis McCormick (1813)
Succeeded by	John 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	October 4, 1757 Long Island, New York
Died	July 23, 1845(1845-07-23) (aged 87) Palestine, Illinois

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

Early life

Looker was born on Long Island. He moved with his mother to Hanover Township, New Jersey after the death of his father. He enlisted with the New Jersey militia in 1776 and served out the remainder of the war as a Private. Looker moved to Vermont and then to New York, working as a school-teacher.^[1]

Later life

He served in the New York State Assembly from 1803 to 1804. After receiving a land grant for his war services, Looker moved to Harrison (Hamilton County), Ohio in 1804, and served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1807 to 1810. He served in the Ohio State Senate from 1810 to 1817. While serving as Speaker of the Senate from 1813 to 1814, Looker was concurrently elevated to the governorship after Governor Return J. Meigs, Jr. resigned to become Postmaster General. 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 is buried there in Kitchell Cemetery.

Ohio Presidential elector in 1816 for James Monroe.^[2]

The Village Historical Society in Harrison, Ohio, has restored the home of Ohio Governor Othniel Looker. The Othniel Looker House is now open to the public, free of admission, on a few dates during the year, and special tours can be arranged for school groups. The Othniel Looker House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

References

1. ^ Othniel Looker, Ohio History Central, Ohio Historical Society. Accessed February 23, 2011.
2. ^ Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 .... 1. State of Ohio. p. 102. http://books.google.com/books?id=ztegAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA102. 

External links

• Othniel Looker at Find a Grave

Political offices
Preceded by Thomas Kirker	Speaker of the Ohio Senate 1813-12-06 – 1814-12-04	Succeeded by Thomas Kirker
Preceded by Return J. Meigs, Jr.	Governor of Ohio 1814-03-24 – 1814-12-08	Succeeded by Thomas Worthington
Ohio House of Representatives
Preceded by John Jones Hezekiah Price Ethan Stone	Representative from Hamilton County 1807–1810 Served alongside: Zebulon Foster, John Jones (1807–1808) James Clark, William Perry (1808–1809) James Clark, William Ludlow (1809–1810)	Succeeded by Peter Bell John Jones Samuel McHenry
Ohio Senate
Preceded by Hezekiah Price Stephen Wood	Senator from Hamilton County 1810–1812 Served alongside: Aaron Goforth, Elnathan Stone, Stephen Wood	Succeeded by John Jones Francis McCormick
Preceded by John Jones Francis McCormick	Senator from Hamilton County 1813–1817 Served alongside: Ephraim Brown (1816–1817), John Jones (1813–1816)	Succeeded by Ephraim Brown George P. Torrence

Persondata
Name	Looker, Othneil
Alternative names
Short description	Fifth Governor of Ohio
Date of birth	October 4, 1757
Place of birth	Long Island, New York
Date of death	July 23, 1845
Place of death	Palestine, Illinois