John William Donahey (August 26, 1905 – March 2, 1967) was an American businessman, government official, and 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 ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he was most notable for his service as the 53rd

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 a ...

from 1959 to 1963. A native of

New Philadelphia, Ohio New Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The county's largest city, New Philadelphia lies along the Tuscarawas River. The population was 17,677 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city in the ...

, and the son of Governor and U.S. Senator

A. Victor Donahey Alvin Victor Donahey (also known as A. Victor Donahey, A. Vic Donahey, Vic Donahey, A. V. Donahey, or Honest Vic Donahey) (July 7, 1873April 8, 1946) was an American Democratic Party politician from Ohio. Donahey was the 50th governor of Ohio and ...

, John Donahey attended

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 ...

and Cleveland College, and supplemented his education with professional development courses through the

American Institute of Banking The American Bankers Association (ABA) is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association for the U.S. banking industry, founded in 1875. They lobby for banks of all sizes and charters, including community banks, regional and money center banks, sav ...

. During his father's governorship, Donahey served as a clerk in the governor's office. In 1930, he married Gertrude Walton, who served as a senior staff member for U.S. Senator

Stephen M. Young Stephen Marvin Young (May 4, 1889December 1, 1984) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Ohio from 1959 until 1971. Life and career Young was born o ...

and as

Ohio State Treasurer The treasurer of the U.S. state of Ohio is responsible for collecting and safeguarding taxes and fees, as well as managing state investments. The Treasury was located in the Ohio Statehouse from 1861 to 1974, when it was moved to the Rhodes State ...

. From 1933 to 1951, Donahey was employed as a loan examiner with the

Reconstruction Finance Corporation The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was a government corporation administered by the United States Federal Government between 1932 and 1957 that provided financial support to state and local governments and made loans to banks, railroads, mortgag ...

. In 1952, Donahey was an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Senator. In 1954 and 1956, he ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer. In 1958, he was the successful Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor and he served from 1959 to 1963. In 1962, Donahey was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for state auditor. After leaving office, Donahey worked as the

Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and stren ...

's regional director for Ohio. Donahey died at

Grant Hospital Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States *Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, Ca ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, on March 5, 1967, after he suffered a heart attack while recovering from surgery. He was buried at East Avenue Cemetery in New Philadelphia.

Early life

Donahey was born in

, on August 26, 1905, a son of

and Mary (Harvey) Donahey. He was educated in the public schools of

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

and New Philadelphia and was a 1926 graduate of

New Philadelphia High School New Philadelphia High School is a public high school in New Philadelphia, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1913 as Central High School, New Philadelphia High School is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools an ...

. As a teenager and young man, Donahey worked at a variety of temporary jobs, including an assembly line job at an

Overland Automobile The Overland Automobile Company was an American automobile manufacturer in Toledo, Ohio. It was the founding company of Willys-Overland and one of the earliest mass producers of automobiles. History The Overland Automobile department was foun ...

factory in

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

, and crew member on a

lighthouse tender A lighthouse tender is a ship specifically designed to maintain, support, or tend to lighthouses or lightvessels, providing supplies, fuel, mail, and transportation. In the United States, these ships originally served as part of the Lighthous ...

that provided maintenance to facilities on the coast of

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

. After high school, Donahey attended

and Cleveland College, the adult education campus of

Western Reserve University Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

. He later took professional development courses through the

Start of career

During his father's term as governor, Donahey served as the commission clerk in the governor's office. He subsequently worked as a field supervisor for the Motorists’ Mutual Insurance Company of Columbus and the Donahey Insurance Agency. Donahey married Gertrude Walton in 1930. She was a longtime senior staff member for U.S. Senator

, then served twelve years (1971-1983) as

. They were the parents of a son, John W. Donahey Jr. (1935-2006). In 1933, Donahey joined the

, where he worked as a loan examiner until 1951. After leaving the RFC, Donahey was the founder and president of Poco Corporation. Poco was a venture which conducted research and experimentation to identify new industrial, food, and farming uses for surplus grain.

Political career

in politics, Donahey was an unsuccessful candidate for

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

in 1952. He ran unsuccessfully for

state treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

in 1954 and again in 1956. In 1958, Donahey ran successfully for lieutenant governor. He served one term, 1959 to 1963. As lieutenant governor, Donahey prioritized economy and low taxes, and set an example by returning to the state treasury part of the budget for his office at the end of each fiscal year. In 1962, Donahey was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for

state auditor State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financial ...

. After leaving office, Donahey worked as the

's regional director for Ohio.

Death and burial

In February 1967, Donahey was admitted to

in Columbus, where he underwent surgery. During his post-surgery recovery, Donahey suffered a fatal heart attack, and he died on March 2. Donahey was buried at East Avenue Cemetery in New Philadelphia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donahey, John W. 1905 births 1967 deaths People from New Philadelphia, Ohio Reconstruction Finance Corporation Ohio Democrats 20th-century American politicians Lieutenant Governors of Ohio Small Business Administration personnel Burials in Ohio