The Ohio Presidents

Ohio sent eight presidents to the White House—one Whig and seven Republicans—from 1841 to 1923: William Harrison, U.S. Grant, Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Taft and Warren Harding. Collectively their social policies and beliefs formed a unified philosophy and legacy.

Ohio republicanism—an alliance of Christianity, populism, nationalism, industrialism and conservative economics—dominated politics across America from 1860 to 1930. Initially several factions in search of a party, it morphed from the anti-slavery Whig Party of Abraham Lincoln and swallowed up a group of single-issue parties, including the Abolition and Free Soil parties, under a national banner. The ghost of Ohio republicanism can still be seen today.

Quentin R. Skrabec, Jr., Ph.D., is an international expert in management, manufacturing and globalization, and the author of several books on American industrial history, capitalism and notable business leaders. He lives in Maumee, Ohio.

Quentin R. Skrabec, Jr.
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 230
Bibliographic Info: 24 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6930-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3334-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1
One—Death at the Summit 11
Two—Roots of Ohio Republicanism: Ohio Whigs, Temperance, Abolition and Common Schools 30
Three—Birth of the Republican Party 44
Four—The Civil War in Ohio and the Republican Party 49
Five—President Grant and the Foundation of Republicanism 58
Six—Ohio Republicanism and the American Empire—Rutherford Hayes 70
Seven—The Rise of National Capitalism versus Internationalism 80
Eight—Ohio Republicanism in the Wilderness 91
Nine—Benjamin Harrison 103
Ten—Congressman McKinley and the Rise of Ohio Republicanism as a National Movement 112
Eleven—Ohio Republicanism Challenged 129
Twelve—Ohio Republicanism at the Summit 139
Thirteen—McKinley’s Final Days and the Setting of a Vision 151
Fourteen—Progressivism’s Back Door 159
Fifteen—Ohio Republicanism Reformed and Adapted for the Times 171
Sixteen—The Republican Party in Rebellion and the Election of 1912 181
Seventeen—Twilight of Ohio Republicanism 186
Eighteen—A Renaissance of Ohio Republicanism 194
Nineteen—Is There a Ghost of Ohio Republicanism? 202
Chapter Notes 207
Bibliography 215
Index 219