History
The current mansion that houses the governor is the second governor’s mansion and was purchased in 1957 to house the governor and his family. The original residence, located at 1234 East Broad Street in Columbus, was purchased after an embarrassing incident in 1916 occurred with the governor-elect James M. Cox. Governors were expected to find their own housing and Mr. Cox was expecting to move into a house after his recent election. Unfortunately, this house was rented to the newly elected Secretary of State, William D. Fulton. In an effort to avoid such incidents, House Bill 559 was passed to secure a residence for the governor during his tenure.
The first house was purchased in 1919 and had been built in 1905 for Charles H. Lindenberg, a local business owner and a founder of M.C. Lilley and Company. The house served as the official residence of the Ohio Governor until the late 1950s after the house became dilapidated and needed extensive repairs and renovations. When it was discovered these repairs were not covered in the budget, the state found it would be cheaper to find a new residence altogether.
The residence in Bexley, Ohio was commissioned by Malcolm Jeffrey, the son of J. A. Jeffrey, founder of Jeffrey Manufacturing Company. It was designed by Robert Gilmore Hanford, a Columbus-based architect. Ground was broken for the house in 1923 and it was completed in 1925. The Jeffreys occupied the home until Malcolm Jeffrey's widow died in 1936, when it passed to Florence Jeffrey Carlile, Malcolm Jeffrey's sister. Under Mrs. Carlile's ownership the house gained a master suite on the second floor as well as a screened porch. Upon Mrs. Carlile's death in 1954, the house was turned over to the Very Reverend Charles U. Harris, who in turn offered the residence to the state. The house has been occupied by Ohio's governors ever since, except for 1975–1983, the third and fourth terms of Governor James A. Rhodes. (He had lived in the house during his first two terms, from 1963 to 1971, but then acquired a Columbus residence of his own and remained there after his return to the governorship.)
Current Governor, John Kasich, has a residence in Westerville and does not use the Governor's Mansion.
Read more about this topic: Ohio Governor's Mansion
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