Lou Blessing
| Lou Blessing | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 29th district |
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In office January 3, 2005 – December 31, 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Patricia Clancy |
| Succeeded by | Louis Blessing |
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In office January 3, 1983 – December 31, 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Helen Fix |
| Succeeded by | Patricia Clancy |
| Member of the Ohio Senate from the 8th district |
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In office January 6, 1997 – December 31, 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Stanley Aronoff |
| Succeeded by | Patricia Clancy |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 1, 1948 Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Alma mater | Northern Kentucky University, University of Cincinnati |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Religion | Catholic |
Louis W. Blessing Jr. of Cincinnati, Ohio, is an American politician of the Republican party.
After graduation from the University of Cincinnati, he received a law degree from Northern Kentucky University. As an attorney, Blessing worked from the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court before being elected as a Colerain Township Trustee.
Blessing's career at the Statehouse began in 1983, when he replaced Representative Helen Fix in a suburban Cincinnati district. He went on to serve seven terms in the House, for a total of fourteen years. He never faced considerable opposition in either a primary or general election throughout his tenure.
With term limits newly enacted and looming, eight-term incumbent Stanley Aronoff decided to retire in 1996 before being forced out of the Senate. As a result, Blessing forfeited an eighth term in the House for a run in the Senate. Facing no opposition in the primary, Blessing went on to win the general election with 65% of the vote. In 2000, Blessing was up for reelection, but was heavily favored in the strongly Republican district. Against Democrat Stuart Manning, Blessing won a second term, securing 63% of the vote.
In December 2002, Blessing, while traveling on I-71 in Ohio, was arrested and charged with a DUI after an Ohio state patrol officer found the state lawmaker had a blood-alcohol level of .11 percent when given a Breathalyzer test, just over the legal limit.
By 2004, Blessing was facing term limits himself in the Senate. With Representative Patty Clancy term limited in the House as well, it gave an opportunity for both Blessing and Clancy to run for each other's seats. However, Blessing first faced primary competition in Keith Corman. He went on to win the primary election with 52% of the electorate. Blessing went on to win the general election over Joseph R. Wolterman by about 7,000 votes, and retook a seat in the House after eight years in the Senate. Blessing was the first legislator post term-limits to go from the House to the Senate and then back to the House. He won reelection easily in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
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Wikipedia