Rhine McLin

Rhine Lana McLin (born October 1948) is an American Democratic politician from Ohio. McLin received her Bachelor of Arts in sociology and secondary education from Parsons College and her Master of Education in guidance counseling from Xavier University. She also holds an associate's degree in mortuary science granted by the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.

In 1988, when McLin's father, Ohio state Rep. C. J. McLin Jr., died, Rhine McLin was appointed to serve the remainder of his term. She was then elected to the seat in 1990, and reelected in 1992. She then was elected to the Ohio Senate in 1994, and re-elected to the senate in 1998. In 2001, McLin was named minority leader (completing the term of state Sen. Ben Espy). She served in that post until she left the Senate in 2002, barred by term limits from running for re-election again that year. She ran for the office of mayor of Dayton.

McLin was elected mayor of Dayton in 2001, defeating incumbent Republican Michael R. Turner and began serving her term in 2002. She was re-elected in 2005, defeating opponent David R. Bohardt. McLin was an Ohio delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention. In 2009, she lost re-election for mayor.

Rhine McLin's political career has been full of firsts. In 1994, McLin became the first African-American woman elected to the Ohio State Senate. She was the first African-American woman to serve as Ohio Senate minority leader. Upon leaving the Senate, she became the first woman to serve as mayor of Dayton. She is the third African-American Dayton mayor. Finally, in late 2005 she was the first African-American woman to serve as head of the Ohio Democratic Party.

As of 2012, McLin serves as the Vice Chairwoman of the Ohio Democratic Party. In August 2012, McLin was tipped as a possible candidate to fill the Ohio state representative seat vacated by Clayton Luckie, but she ultimately declined to run.