Politicians

Before citizens can vote, they must have someone willing to take office.  The City of Cincinnati has had many citizens wiling to take political office at the local and national level.  The University of Cincinnati Archives and Rare Books Library holds several interesting collections related to these politicians, three of whom are highlighted below. 

Gilbert Bettman (1881-1942)

Gilbert Bettman was born in October of 1881.  He was the youngest of the four sons of Louis and Rebecca Bloom Bettman.  Educated in Cincinnati, he graduated from Hughes High School.  Like his older brother, Alfred, he attended Harvard University where he received his law degree in 1907.  After graduation, Bettman established a legal practice in Cincinnati.  He married Iphigene Molony in 1916, and together they had three children:  Gilbert, Jr., Carol, and Alfred. 

His career began to take a different turn with the outbreak of war in Europe,  and in 1917, he became Counsel to the Director of the War Risk Bureau. In 1918, Bettman enlisted in the army and served as a captain in the military intelligence division of the General Staff.  After the war,  Bettman returned to his law practice in Cincinnati where he became increasingly involved in community affairs.  In 1921, he began a four-year term as the Vice Mayor of Cincinnati, after which he assumed the position of Commander of the American Legion in the State of Ohio.  In 1928, Bettman was elected as Attorney General of Ohio, and subsequently served as a judge on the Ohio Supreme Court from 1940 until his death in 1942. 

 The Gilbert Bettman Papers at the University of Cincinnati follow both Bettman’s personal and political life.  Of particular interest may be the papers relating to his 1932 Senate campaign, in which he ran on an anti-prohibition platform.2  

Robert A. Taft (1889-1953)

Robert A. Taft, the son of President William Howard Taft, was born in 1889 in Cincinnati, Ohio.  He attended the Taft School founded by his uncle Horace Taft in Watertown, Connecticut.  He graduated from Yale University in 1910 and from Harvard University Law School in 1913.  He began his career practicing law in Cincinnati, Ohio with the firm of Maxwell & Ramsey.  During the first World War, he worked  as one of four assistant counsels for the Food Administration.  After the war, he worked as a legal adviser for the American Relief Administration in Europe.

Returning  to Cincinnati, Taft opened his own law office in 1919, and began to take an active role in politics.  In November of 1920, he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives, where he served until 1930 when he was elected to the Ohio State Senate.  In 1938, he was elected to the United States Senate, where became majority leader in 1953.   Taft died suddenly of cancer in July of 1953.  Taft was known for being a conservative leader, and the materials from his 1950 campaign for U.S. Senator highlight his platform against communism and “New Deal” politics.3

Bobbie Sterne (1919- )

Bobbie Sterne, the first female mayor of Cincinnati, was born in Moran, Ohio on November 27, 1919.  She is a graduate of the Akron City Hospital School of Nursing, although she briefly studied at Akron University and the University of Cincinnati.  With the outbreak of the Second World War, Bobbie became a First Lieutenant Army nurse with the 25th General Hospital Unit and served in Britain, France, and Belgium. 

Sterne was first elected to City Council in 1971 as a Charter candidate, and served until 1998.  She began her first term as mayor in 1975, and her second term in 1978.  Defeated in 1985, she returned to council in 1987.  Sterne is known for her service on many committees and boards, including the Governor’s Task Force on Health Care, the Attorney General’s Task Force on Domestic Violence, the Citizen’s Committee on Youth, the Community Chest Board of Trustees, the Board of Planned Parenthood, the Council on Aging, and many others.  She focused her political career on the issues of health and social services, area tourism, financial management, and city planning.  Her papers highlight her campaigns for city council and important voting issues for Cincinnatians.4