Todd Book is a former Democratic member of 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 ...

who was first elected in 2002. He served the 89th House District, which includes all of

Scioto County Scioto County is a county located along the Ohio River in the south central region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 74,008. Its county seat is Portsmouth. The county was founded March 24, 1804, from Adams ...

, the western half of Lawrence County and the eastern half of Adams County in Southern Ohio. Book was raised in

Portsmouth, Ohio Portsmouth is a city in and the county seat of Scioto County, Ohio, United States. Located in southern Ohio south of Chillicothe, it lies on the north bank of the Ohio River, across from Kentucky, just east of the mouth of the Scioto River. ...

. His father, Tom Book, operated a trenching business and his mother, Delores Book, raised Todd and his two sisters. Todd attended the local public high school, Portsmouth West High School. Book attended undergraduate college at

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

where he majored in Political Science. In 1990, Todd earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors. After completing his undergraduate studies, he enrolled at the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...

Marshall-Wythe School of Law The William & Mary Law School, known historically as the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, is the professional graduate law school of the College of William & Mary. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, the school is the oldest extant law school in t ...

where he was awarded his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree in 1993. After law school, Todd returned to the Portsmouth, OH area where he started practicing law. He and his father started a small business, Old Hickory Golf Co., Ltd. The business conducts golf outings using hickory shafted clubs, period clothing and old style golf balls. He began teaching business law at

Shawnee State University Shawnee State University (SSU) is a public university in Portsmouth, Ohio. Established in 1986, Shawnee State is an open admissions university. It is the southernmost member of the University System of Ohio. History Although its roots date bac ...

as an adjunct faculty member. In 1997, Todd Book married Emily. After joining with a local attorney, Howard Harcha, Jr., in 1998 to form the law firm Harcha & Book, LLC, Todd and Emily had their first child, Cassidy Mae, in 1999. In 2001, Todd and Emily had a son, Avery Todd, and in 2006 they had another daughter, Meredith. Book was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 2002 after a hotly contested race for the 89th House District's open seat. During his second term, Book was elected to be the Assistant House Minority Leader. In 2004, the Council of State Governments Midwestern Office selected Book as a Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Fellow. Book served as the Chairman of the Rules and Reference Committee after the Democratic Party captured the majority in the Ohio House in 2008. Book left the House in 2010 due to term limits. In 2009, Book explored running for the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, but declined due to obligations in the Ohio House and lackluster fundraising. In 2012, Book unsuccessfully ran for State School Board.2012 Ohio General Election Results
/ref> In 2010, Book began working for the Ohio State Bar Association as its Director of Policy and Government Affairs. He is the author of the
Word on the Square
" a weekly blog that focuses on legislative issues, OSBA priority bills and general Statehouse news.

References

External links

Project Vote Smart - Representative T. Todd Book (OH)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Todd Book
2008
http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200635&c=422656 2006
20042002
campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Book, Todd Members of the Ohio House of Representatives 1968 births Living people American Presbyterians Western Michigan University alumni College of William & Mary alumni Shawnee State University 21st-century American politicians People from Portsmouth, Ohio