Homer E. "Pete" Abele (November 21, 1916 – May 12, 2000) was an American politician from the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. He was active in

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 ...

politics, and represented the state in the House of Representatives.

Early life and education

Homer "Pete" Abele graduated from Wellston High School in his birthplace of Wellston, Ohio in 1934. From 1935 to 1936, he served in the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

. From 1938 to 1941, he lived in Lancaster, Ohio and

McArthur, Ohio McArthur is a village in Vinton County, Ohio, United States. It is located 27 miles southeast of Chillicothe. The population was 1,701 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Vinton County. History McArthur was laid out and platted in 181 ...

, working for the Anchor Hocking Glass Corp. and the Austin Powder Co. In 1948, he earned a degree in pre-law from

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

in Athens, Ohio. In 1953, he received a law degree from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

in Columbus, Ohio.

Career

In 1941, Abele joined the Ohio State Highway Patrol and worked as a state trooper from 1941 to 1946, except for a stint in the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

from 1943 to 1946. In 1949, while still a student in law school, Abele was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives, where he served from 1949 to 1952. In 1952, Abele joined the unsuccessful presidential campaign of Robert A. Taft. From 1953 to 1957, Abele was a lobbyist for railroad interests. In 1956, he was appointed solicitor of the village of McArthur, Ohio. In 1952, Abele attended the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

. In 1956, he was a delegate to the convention. From 1954 to 1957, Abele was the chairman of the

Vinton County, Ohio Vinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,800, making it the least populous county in the state. Its county seat is McArthur. The county is named for Samuel Finley Vinton, US Re ...

, Republican Executive Committee. In 1958, Abele was the Republican nominee for

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from Ohio's 10th congressional district. He lost to incumbent

Walter H. Moeller Walter Henry Moeller (March 15, 1910 – April 13, 1999) was an American politician from the Democratic Party. He served Ohio's 10th congressional district in the House of Representatives, during the 86th, 87th, and 89th Congresses. Biography ...

. Abele challenged Moeller again in 1962, and unseated him; he began his service in 1963 in the 88th United States Congress. Abele served only one term - in 1964, Moeller won the seat back from Abele. In 1966, Abele was elected to the office of judge of the Ohio Court of Appeals for the Fourth District. He was re-elected in 1972, 1978, and 1984. He retired at the end of his fourth term in 1991. During his tenure, he was presiding judge from 1977 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1984. In 1978, Abele was chief justice of the Ohio Court of Appeals. Abele also occasionally sat as a visiting judge on the Ohio Supreme Court. Abele remained a member of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Auxiliary, maintaining the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. From 1967 to 1991, every graduating class of the State Highway Patrol Academy was administered its oath of office by Abele.

Personal life

He died in Hamden, Ohio at age 83 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Abele's son Peter B. Abele is currently a judge on the Fourth District Appeals Court.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abele, Pete 1916 births 2000 deaths People from Wellston, Ohio Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Ohio University alumni Judges of the Ohio District Courts of Appeals Ohio State University Moritz College of Law alumni United States Army Air Forces soldiers United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Deaths from dementia in Ohio American state police officers 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American judges Ohio State Highway Patrol People from Lancaster, Ohio People from McArthur, Ohio Civilian Conservation Corps people Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References