Robert T. (Bob) Bennett (February 8, 1939 – December 6, 2014) was an American attorney, CPA, and political executive who was the chairman of the

Ohio Republican Party The Ohio Republican Party is the Ohio affiliate of the Republican Party. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1854. History After the Civil War, Ohio politics was dominated by the Republican Party, and Ohio Republicans also played key roles in ...

from 1988 to 2009 and again in 2012 and 2013.

Early life and education

He was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, where he graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the

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 1960 and a Juris Doctor from

Cleveland–Marshall College of Law Cleveland State University College of Law is the law school of Cleveland State University, a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. The school traces its origins to Cleveland Law School (founded in 1897), which merged in 1946 with the Jo ...

Career

Bennett qualified as a Certified Public Accountant and an attorney specializing in tax and business law. He was a member of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

, the Cleveland Bar Association, the Ohio Bar Association, and the American Society of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Cleveland chapter of the Ohio CPA's American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He wrote several publications on tax law and was a guest lecturer to various professional and political organizations on the issues of state and federal tax law and campaign management. Bennett was a member of the boards of trustees and a director of Ohio business and civic organizations, including University Hospital Case Medical Center Board and Southwest General Health Center of Cleveland, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati, where he served as chairman of the board.

Ohio Republican Party

Bennett was elected chairman of the

in 1988, and remained until 2009. Following the resignation of then party chairman Kevin DeWine, Bennett resumed his position as chairman in 2012 and remained until May 2013. At the time of his election in 1988 the party held no statewide offices or legislative majorities; within a decade it had control of all three branches of the Ohio government. During his tenure, Republicans held the Ohio governor's office for 16 years, won every statewide office, held majorities in the Ohio General Assembly, won unanimous control of the

Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

, and won more than 63 percent of all county elective offices in the state.

Personal life

Bennett resided in Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife, Ruth Ann. He is survived by two adult children. Bennett, who had triple bypass surgery in 1996 after a mild heart attack, had been in declining health since 2012, when he was afflicted by a lingering and baffling respiratory problem that doctors finally traced to an infection he contracted during a visit to Moscow. Bennett passed on December 6, 2014 at his home in Cleveland, Ohio.

References

External links

Ohio Republican Party Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Robert T. 1939 births 2014 deaths Lawyers from Cleveland Politicians from Columbus, Ohio Cleveland State University College of Law alumni Ohio State University Fisher College of Business alumni Ohio lawyers Ohio Republicans State political party chairs of Ohio Republican National Committee members Lawyers from Columbus, Ohio 20th-century American lawyers