Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
1900.001.054 |
Object Name |
Painting |
Collection |
Statehouse Artwork Collection/Governors' Portraits |
Title |
Portrait of John W. Bricker |
Artist |
Grimes, James W., 1901-1981 |
Date |
1949 |
Description |
Half-length portrait of Ohio's 54th governor John W. Bricker (1939--1945). He is seen wearing a blue jacket, a white shirt and a red tie. He has a red pin in his lapel. He has white hair. |
Material |
Oil Paint/Canvas/Wood |
Notes |
John William Bricker was born on September 6, 1893, near Mt. Sterling, Ohio. He attended public schools in Madison County and The Ohio State University. He graduated from Ohio State with an undergraduate degree in 1916. Bricker attempted to enlist in the United States Army during World War I, but the military refused to accept him because of a low pulse rate. Disappointed, Bricker did succeed in gaining entry to the Army Chaplain Corps. Upon the war's conclusion, Bricker enrolled in the law school at The Ohio State University, graduating in 1920. Bricker began to practice law in Columbus, Ohio, in 1920, but he also quickly pursued a political career. From 1920 to 1928, he served as the city solicitor for Grandview Heights, Ohio. From 1923 to 1927, he also worked as one of Ohio's assistant attorney generals. In 1932, Bricker became the attorney general of Ohio, only to leave this position in 1939, following winning election as the state's governor, a position that he had first sought unsuccessfully in 1936. As governor, Bricker had to deal with the end of the Great Depression and World War II. He succeeded in eliminating the state's deficit and also increased funding for Ohio's schools. He served three terms, from 1939 to 1945. In 1944, Bricker, a Republican, had unsuccessfully run for the Vice Presidency of the United States. Upon ending his third term as governor, Bricker proceeded to win election to the U.S. Senate. He served two terms, from 1947 to 1959. He was unsuccessful in 1958 when he sought a third term. Bricker's most famous act while a senator was his sponsorship of the Bricker Amendment. This act would have limited the president's ability to enter into agreements with foreign nations. It lost by a single vote in the Senate and was never enacted. Following his defeat for reelection, Bricker returned to his law practice in Columbus. He died on March 22, 1986. |
Provenance |
In 1867, the Ohio General Assembly passed a joint resolution relative to the governors of Ohio. The legislators resolved that "the secretary of state, on the first Monday of January next, whether the portraits of the governors of Ohio, state and territorial, can be procured, and if so, whether original portraits or copies, and the probable expense of procuring such portraits for the governor's office." James W. Grimes painted and signed this portrait of Governor Bricker. No written documention has been located on this portrait. The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board took over the care of the Statehouse and its collections in 1988. |
Frame desc |
Gilt molded frame |
People |
Bricker, John W. (John William), 1893-1986 Grimes, James W. , 1901-1981 |
Search Terms |
Ohio Governor Ohio Governor's Portraits |
Subjects |
Governors Painting Portrait paintings |