Oakley C. Collins (1916 – October 30, 1994) was a Republican member of the

Ohio General Assembly The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus ...

. A former school teacher from Ironton, Ohio, Collins initially ran for the Ohio House of Representatives, winning a seat in 1946, and was reelected in 1948. He opted to move to the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

in 1950, winning a seat to represent much of

Appalachian Ohio Appalachian Ohio is a bioregion and political unit in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, characterized by the western foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and the Appalachian Plateau. The Appalachian Regional Commission defines th ...

. He won reelection in 1952, 1954, and 1956. In 1958, Collins opted for a fifth term, but lost to Democrat J. Sherman Porter, a radio personality from

Gallipolis Gallipolis ( ) is a chartered village (United States)#Ohio, village in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Gallia County, Ohio, Gallia County. The municipality is located in Southeast Ohio along the Ohio River about 55 miles southeast of ...

. However, he opted again to run in 1962, after

terms grew to four years. He won, and was again seated in 1963 to the Seventh/Eighth District, and would go forth to serve as Chairman of the Education Committee. Following the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement ...

, Collins was elected to the new 18th District in 1966, and reelected in 1968. Following redistricting in 1972, Collins found himself drawn out of his current district and into another. With the district he currently lived in not up for reelection until 1974, Collins opted to relinquish his Senate seat instead of running in the new district and instead seek a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives. He was successful, and was seated in the House for 1973. Just two years into his House tenure, Collins again opted to run for the Senate, challenging incumbent and fellow Republican Harry Armstrong in the 1974 primary. In an upset, he narrowly defeated Armstrong to take the nomination, and went on to win the general election. He won reelection in 1978, and again in 1982. Up for reelection again in 1986, Collins initially was not considered vulnerable. However, surmounting ethics problems created an opening for his

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

opponent,

Jan Michael Long Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article N ...

. In the end, Long defeated Collins in an upset, ending his 22-year career in the Senate. Following his defeat, Collins returned to Ironton to his family mining company. He died on October 30, 1994, at the age of 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Oakley C. 1916 births Republican Party Ohio state senators Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives 1994 deaths 20th-century American legislators People from Ironton, Ohio American mining businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from Ohio People from Lawrence County, Ohio 20th-century Ohio politicians