Thomas Andrew Luken (July 9, 1925 – January 10, 2018) 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 ...

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 ...

, serving in 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 ...

during the 1970s and 1980s.

Early life and education

Luken received his high school diploma in 1942 from Purcell High School. During the Second World War, Luken served as a U.S. Marine. In 1947, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree 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 ...

in Cincinnati, after having earned some credits at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

. In 1950, he earned a law degree at the

Salmon P. Chase College of Law The NKU Chase College of Law (formerly Salmon P. Chase College of Law, also known as Chase College of Law) is the law school of Northern Kentucky University, a public university in Highland Heights, Kentucky. It provides both part-time (day and ...

Northern Kentucky University Northern Kentucky University is a public university in Highland Heights, Kentucky. It is primarily an undergraduate institution with over 14,000 students; over 12,000 are undergraduate students and nearly 2,000 are graduate students. Northern K ...

and began practicing law.

Career

From 1955 to 1961, Luken served as solicitor for the city of

Deer Park, Ohio Deer Park is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cincinnati. The population was 5,736 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. History The Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway began r ...

. He was then appointed

United States District Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the Southern District of Ohio, in which he served from 1961 to 1964. He served on the Cincinnati city council from 1964 to 1967 and from 1969 to 1974. He also was the

mayor of Cincinnati The Mayor of Cincinnati is recognised as the official head and representative of the city for all purposes. There have been seventy-six mayors of Cincinnati, the first of which being David Ziegler in 1802. The current mayor is Aftab Pureval, w ...

from 1971 to 1972. In 1974, Luken won a special election in the Cincinnati-based 1st congressional district to fill out the term of

William J. Keating William John Keating (March 30, 1927 – May 20, 2020) was an American lawyer, businessman and politician of the Republican party. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1974. Background Keating was born in Cinci ...

, a

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 ...

who resigned his seat. However, Luken was defeated later that year in his bid for a full term by Republican

Bill Gradison Willis David Gradison Jr. (born December 28, 1928) is an American politician from Ohio who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1993. Early life and education Gradison, a Republican, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and ...

, who had preceded him as mayor of Cincinnati. In 1976, Luken ran in the neighboring 2nd district and unseated Republican incumbent

Donald D. Clancy Donald D. Clancy (July 24, 1921 – June 12, 2007) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented the 2nd District of Ohio from 1961 until 1977. Early life and education Clancy was born in Cincinnati, in ...

, beginning service in 1977 (95th Congress). He was reelected six times, all by large margins. He was only the second Democrat to represent a significant portion of Cincinnati for more than one term in the 20th century. In 1983, Luken and Gradison swapped districts as a result of the 1980 census, with Luken's district being renumbered as the 1st District. He did not run for an eighth term in 1990, opting instead to retire in favor of his son, Cincinnati mayor

Charlie Luken Charles John Luken (born July 18, 1951, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American politician of the United States Democratic Party, Democratic party who was List of Mayors of Cincinnati, Ohio, mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, and served in the Ohio's 1st cong ...

, who won a term in his father's former seat. Tom Luken's brother,

Jim Luken James T. Luken (December 31, 1921 – July 12, 1979) was an American politician and labor union leader of the Democratic party, who served as mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, in the 1970s. Luken was a local leader of the Milk Driver's Union, a subsi ...

, was a labor leader and also served as a Cincinnati mayor.

Death

Tom Luken died on January 10, 2018.Cincinnati political legend Thomas Luken is dead
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References

External links

Finding Aid for Thomas A. Luken papers
Archives and Rare Books Library, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Luken, Tom 1925 births 2018 deaths Bowling Green State University alumni Cincinnati City Council members Mayors of Cincinnati Xavier University alumni Salmon P. Chase College of Law alumni United States Marine Corps officers United States Attorneys for the Southern District of Ohio United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Military personnel from Cincinnati People from Deer Park, Ohio Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio