C. William O'Neill

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Crane William O'Neill (born February 14, 1916 in Marietta , Ohio , † August 20, 1978 in Columbus , Ohio) was an American lawyer and politician and from 1957 to 1959 the 59th  governor of the state of Ohio.

Early years and political advancement

O'Neill attended Marietta College until 1938 and Ohio State University until 1942 , where he studied law. After graduating and admitted to the bar, he started working in his father's law firm.

Between 1939 and 1950 O'Neill was a member of the Republican Party in the Ohio House of Representatives . There he was also the leader of the Republican parliamentary group and at times speaker of the chamber. He kept his mandate during the Second World War, in which he fought on the European theater of war in the US Army. After the war he taught political science at Marietta College. Between 1951 and 1957 he was Attorney General of Ohio. In 1956 he was elected the new governor of his state against the Democrat Michael DiSalle .

Governor of ohio

William O'Neill took up his new office on January 14, 1957. During his two-year tenure, the concept of highway construction in Ohio was changed. Instead of only tackling short new lines, as was previously the case, longer distances were now made. This also applied to the maintenance of the streets. The so-called freeways were also created at that time. Governor O'Neill wanted to include the right to work in the state constitution. The proposal would have turned the unions into illegal organizations at the same time. For this reason, supported by the workers, they opposed this proposal. The governor's proposal did not find a majority, but cost him re-election in 1958. So he had to resign on January 12, 1959 from his office, which this time Michael DiSalle, who won the election, took over.

Another résumé

After his governorship ended, O'Neill returned to practice as a lawyer. For a short time he was Professor of Public Affairs at Bethany College in West Virginia . In 1960 he was appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court of Ohio . Ten years later he became the Chief Justice of that court. He held this office until his death in 1978. C. William O'Neill was married to Betty Hewson, with whom they had two children.

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personal data
SURNAME O'Neill, C. William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES O'Neill, Crane William (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American lawyer and politician
DATE OF BIRTH February 14, 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH Marietta , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH 20th August 1978
Place of death Columbus , Ohio