Robert Emmet Hagan (March 22, 1921 – January 17, 1999) was an American politician of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. Hagan was an ironworker in Youngstown and served as a county commissioner in Trumbull County, Ohio, before being elected to the Ohio General Assembly in the district of his adopted hometown of Madison, Ohio. During his three terms in the legislature, 1983–1989, he was known as the assembly's most

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member. During that period, Hagan's son, Robert F. Hagan, also held a seat 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 Ch ...

. In 1970, Hagan ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for

Lieutenant Governor of Ohio The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as ...

. In 1972, Hagan was on the traveling staff of Democratic nominee for Vice President

Sargent Shriver Robert Sargent Shriver Jr. (November 9, 1915 – January 18, 2011) was an American diplomat, politician, and activist. As the husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he was part of the Kennedy family. Shriver was the driving force behind the creatio ...

as his joke writer. Throughout his career Hagan was known for a forceful speaking style that often included a fair share of humor. After leaving elected office, Hagan began performing stand-up comedy, having fun with politics and the unusually large size of his family (he and his wife, Ada DiLoreto Hagan, had 14 children), among other topics. He continued to perform into his mid 70s. He also wrote a number of op-eds for ''

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 ...

''. Hagan's son Timothy Hagan was a county commissioner in Cuyahoga County, Ohio for 16 years, and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Ohio in 2002 and was once-again elected Cuyahoga County Commissioner in 2004. His other son, Robert F. Hagan, served in the

and the Ohio Senate.

See also