Rhine Lana McLin (born October 1948) is an American Democratic politician from

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 ...

who served as the 54th mayor of

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

from 2002 to 2010. McLin previously served as a member of both chambers 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 ...

Education

McLin received her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

and

secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...

from

Parsons College Parsons College was a private liberal arts college located in Fairfield, Iowa. The school was named for its wealthy benefactor, Lewis B. Parsons Sr., and was founded in 1875 with one building and 34 students. Over the years new buildings were cons ...

and her

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

in guidance counseling from

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 studen ...

. She also holds an

associate's degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

mortuary science Mortuary science is the study of deceased bodies through mortuary work. The term is most often applied to a college curriculum in the United States that prepares a student for a career as a mortician or funeral director. Many also study embalmi ...

granted by the

Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science (CCMS) is a private mortuary science college in Springfield, Ohio. CCMS is the oldest school of its kind in the United States, tracing its history back to the Clarke School, which organized its first class ...

Career

In 1988, when McLin's father, C. J. McLin, died, Rhine was appointed to serve the remainder of his term in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

. She was then elected to the seat in 1990, and re-elected in 1992. She then was elected 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 1994, and re-elected to the senate in 1998. In 2001, McLin was named Minority Leader (completing the term of Ohio senator

Ben Espy Ben E. Espy is a Ohio Democratic Party, Democratic politician who formerly served in the Ohio Senate. A member of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus City Council from 1982 to 1992, Espy went on to obtain an appointment to the Ohio Senate after Senator Ri ...

). She served as Minority Leader until she left the Senate in 2002, barred by term limits from running for re-election again that year. She ran for the office of mayor of

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

. McLin was elected mayor of Dayton in 2001, defeating 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 ...

Michael R. Turner and began serving her term in 2002. She was re-elected in 2005, defeating opponent David R. Bohardt. McLin was an Ohio delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention. In 2009, she lost re-election for mayor. In 1994, McLin became the first African-American woman elected to the Ohio State Senate. She was the first African-American woman to serve as Ohio Senate minority leader. Upon leaving the Senate, she became the first woman to serve as mayor of Dayton. She is the third African-American mayor of Dayton. Finally, in late 2005 she was the first African-American woman to serve as head of the

Ohio Democratic Party The Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Ohio. Summit County Council President Elizabeth Walters has been the party's chairwoman since January 2021. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown is the top Oh ...

. Since 2012, McLin has served as the Vice Chairwoman of the

. In August 2012, McLin was mentioned as a possible candidate to fill the Ohio state representative seat vacated by Clayton Luckie, but she ultimately declined to run.WDTN.com - Former Dayton mayor won't run for state rep.

References

External links

Profile on the Ohio Ladies' Gallery website
*''Follow the Money'' - Rhine McLin
200019981996
Ohio Senate campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:McLin, Rhine 1948 births African-American mayors in Ohio African-American state legislators in Ohio Central State University faculty Embalmers American funeral directors Living people Mayors of Dayton, Ohio Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Democratic Party Ohio state senators Xavier University alumni Women mayors of places in Ohio Women state legislators in Ohio 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians American women academics 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians African-American women mayors