Francis E. Gaul (August 8, 1924 - September 15, 2013) was an American politician of the Democratic party. He was the

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

Cuyahoga County, Ohio Cuyahoga County ( or ) is a large urban county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the Canada–United States border, U.S.-Canada maritime border. As of the 2020 U ...

from 1976 to 1995. Gaul started his career as a

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

man in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, representing a predominantly Irish-Catholic ward on the west side.

Treasurer of Cuyahoga County

Gaul served as Treasurer of Cuyahoga County from 1975 to 1996. In 1994, ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'' reported that Gaul had made risky investments using county funds through the Secured Assets Fund Earnings (SAFE) investment pool. When the investment pool collapsed, the county lost $115 million. In 1997, Gaul was acquitted by the

Ohio Court of Appeals The Ohio District Courts of Appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the U.S. state of Ohio. The Ohio Constitution provides for courts of appeals that have jurisdiction to review final appealable orders. There are twelve appellate districts ...

of any criminal wrongdoing in association with SAFE. The court overturned Gaul's conviction by an inferior court for "dereliction of duty", for which he had been sentenced to 90 days in jail. In 1989, Gaul was criticized for appearing in radio advertisements in which he endorsed certificates of deposits at Transohio Saving Bank. Gaul said he had been paid for the advertisements but donated the payment to charity.

Other political offices and candidacies

Gaul also served on

Cleveland City Council Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Its chambers are located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue, across the street from Public Auditorium in Downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Ci ...

and on the board of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. In 1994, Gaul was the Democratic nominee who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

U.S. Rep. The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Martin R. Hoke. In 1982, he was a candidate in the Democratic Primary for

Ohio Secretary of State The Secretary of State of Ohio is an elected statewide official in the State of Ohio. The Secretary of state is responsible for overseeing elections in the state; registering business entities (corporations, etc.) and granting them the author ...

, won by

Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell Brown (; born November 9, 1952) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Ohio, a seat which he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representative for Ohio's ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaul, Frank 1924 births 2013 deaths Cleveland City Council members Ohio Democrats County officials in Ohio

Treasurer of Cuyahoga County

Other political offices and candidacies

See also

References