Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr.

Anthony Joseph "Tony" Celebrezze Jr. (1941–July 4, 2003) was an American politician of the Democratic party. He was the son of Anthony J. Celebrezze Sr..

Biography

Celebrezze was born to Anthony Celebrezze and Anne M. Celebrezze in 1941. Celebrezze's cousins were former Ohio Chief Justice Frank Celebrezze Jr. and former Ohio Supreme Court Judge James Celebrezze. Celebrezze was the father of Anthony J. Celebrezze III and the cousin of Ohio appeals court judge Frank D. Celebrezze, III. His uncle was Frank D. Celebrezze, Sr.. His wife was Louisa Godwin Celebrezze and their five children are Anthony J. Celebrezze, III, Catherine Celebrezze, Charles Celebrezze, David Celebrezze, and Maria McBride. His sisters are Jean Porto and Susan Sullivan.

Celebrezze graduated from John Marshall High School in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1963, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy and served in the United States Navy for five years. Hed was awarded the Naval Commendation Medal. In 1974, Celebrezze was awarded a Juris Doctor degree from Cleveland State University.

Celebrezze was elected an Ohio state senator in 1974. While in the Ohio General Assembly, he was known for his honesty and fair dealing. In 1978, Celebrezze defeated incumbent Republican Ted W. Brown in the election for Ohio secretary of state. He served as Ohio secretary of state from 1979 to 1983.

In 1982, Celebrezze won election as attorney general by defeating Republican Charles R. Saxbe. Celebrezze easily won re-election in 1986 by defeating Barry Levey. He served as Ohio attorney general from 1983 to 1991. While serving as attorney general, Celebrezze fought a legal battle against the United States Department of Energy over the nuclear and chemical pollution at the Fernald nuclear weapons plant, which for years had been kept secret under the disguise of the Feeds Materials Production Center. The legal victory gave the Ohio state government the right to regulate the clean-up of the site.

In 1990, Celebrezze ran for governor to replace Richard F. Celeste, who was barred from running for a third consecutive term. Celebrezze lost that race to Republican George Voinovich. Some analysts attribute his loss, in part, to Celebrezze's much-criticized switch from his long-held anti-abortion views to a pro-choice position.

Celebrezze died on July 4, 2003 of a heart attack after finishing third in a vintage auto race at a racing track in De Graff, Ohio.

ee also

* Election Results, Ohio Governor
* Election Results, Ohio Governor (Democratic Primaries)