City of Columbus

The son of a Jackson County coal miner, James A. Rhodes has compiled a record of public service to Ohio unequaled in the State’s history.

In addition to his four terms as Governor of Ohio and ten years as State Auditor, Governor Rhodes served on the Columbus School Board (1937-1939) and as City Auditor (1940-1944). At the age of thirty-four, he was elected Mayor of Columbus. Twice re-elected Mayor, Rhodes sparked the growth of Ohio’s capital city in the 1940’s.

In the course of a public career spanning forty-five years, Jim Rhodes, with unfailing optimism and political acumen, led Columbus and Ohio to new levels of economic and educational achievement.