Paul Gillmor
Encyclopedia
Paul Eugene Gillmor was an American
politician of the Republican Party
who served as the U.S. Representative
from the 5th congressional district
of Ohio
from 1989 until his death.
and grew up in Old Fort
; his father owned a trucking business in the area. His mother was Lucy Fry Gillmor. He attended Old Fort High School
, graduating in 1957. In 1961 he received a bachelor of arts
degree from Ohio Wesleyan University
. In 1964, he graduated with a law degree from the University of Michigan
.
From 1965 to 1966, Gillmor was on active duty in the U.S. Air Force
as a Judge Advocate, attaining the rank of Captain. He then entered the practice of law.
Paul Gillmor married Brenda Lee Luckey, daughter of Helen and Lee Luckey of Fostoria, Ohio. They had two children, Linda and Julie.
Gillmor's wife Brenda was killed in a car accident in Fremont, Ohio in September 1972. Daughters Linda and Julie, ages 7 and 5 at the time, were in the car.
Gillmor's 2006 financial disclosure placed his wealth between $6.2 and $27.8 million. Much of that is from an eight-branch local bank, Old Fort Bank, owned by Gillmor and his relatives. He was the 43rd-richest member of Congress, according to Roll Call
.
Gillmor married Karen Lako
, who also served in the Ohio Senate
, in 1983. Gillmor had three sons with his wife Karen, Paul Michael and twins Adam and Connor.
in 1967, where he remained until being elected to Congress in 1988. He was the Republican Leader from 1978 to 1980 and from 1983 to 1984. After the Republican Party won a majority in the Ohio Senate, Gillmor was elected President of the Senate and served in that office for three General Assemblies
from 1981 to 1982 and from 1985 to 1988. He ran in the 1986 Republican primary for governor, but lost to former governor James A. Rhodes.
, Gillmor entered the Republican primary for the 5th District after 30-year incumbent Del Latta
retired. Latta endorsed his son, Bob
, as his successor; Gillmor defeated him by only 27 votes. He was then handily elected in November and has been reelected nine times in this heavily Republican district, usually by margins of 2-to-1. He ran unopposed in 1992
.
In 2002
, Gillmor defeated Republican Rex Damschroder
in the primary http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=76949, in a campaign where Gillmor was accused of ignoring his district and spending almost all of his time at his homes near Washington and Columbus, Ohio
.
. In 2006, Gillmor served as a member of a bipartisan reform task force on ethics and congressional mailing practices. He was a member of the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership
.
The American Conservative Union
gave Gillmor's 2005 voting record a rating of 82 points out of a possible 100; the liberal Americans for Democratic Action
gave him a 0 rating.
Gillmor joined with Massachusetts
Congressman Barney Frank
to propose the Industrial Bank Holding Company Act of 2006, which was designed to prevent retailers such as Wal-Mart
and Home Depot from operating banks to process their credit card transactions. The Toledo Blade noted that as he fought for the interests of the banking community, Gillmor had opened his own bank in Florida, Panther Community Bank, and was heir to an Ohio bank, Old Fort Bank.
, a suburb of Columbus
, about a 90-minute drive from the condominium and outside the district he represents (it is split between the 12th and 15th districts). Gillmor and his wife also owned a townhouse in Arlington, Virginia, purchased in 1989 for $389,000 and valued in 2007 at $640,000. Gillmor's wife works in Columbus as vice chairman of the State Employment Relations Board; prior to being appointed to that position, she was a state senator. Their three sons attend Dublin schools. When asked prior to the November 2006 election how often he stayed at the Tiffin house, Gillmor refused to answer.
His opponents in the last three election cycles prior to his death made an issue of his residence, and many of the condominium's residents claim they rarely saw him there. However, Gillmor long insisted that Seneca County
(home to both Old Fort and Tiffin) is his true home. Members of the House are constitutionally required to live only in the state they represent, but it has become a strong convention that they live in the district they represent as well.
In March 2007, Gillmor and his family moved into a new house in Dublin. In 2004, the land where that house now sits was purchased by Zenith Holding & Trading Corp., a subsidiary of a Columbus law and lobbying firm, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease
. In 2005, Zenith Holding received a construction loan of $967,000, to build the house. Prior to moving into the house, Gillmor and his family lived in a four-bedroom, 3571 square feet (331.8 m²) house in Dublin that they bought in 1996 for $364,900.
In a letter to the Toledo Blade in early May 2007, the firm said that Zenith has the new Dublin house and its land in trust "at the request of, and for the benefit of" Gillmor, who pays the mortgage and taxes. In a follow-up letter to the newspaper, Gillmor said he considers the properties outside his district, in Dublin and Arlington, to be "only real estate investments." In his April 2007 letter to The Blade, Gillmor similarly said that the property was in a trust. But in May 2007, Gillmor's spokesman, Brad Mascho, said that a trustlike entity that is "not a trust" controls the house, so there had been no need to notify the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct that Gillmor was transferring assets into a trust in order to purchase the home.
In 2007, Gillmor received approval from the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and the offices of two federal regulators to be an initial director and investor in a new Florida bank, the Panther Community Bank.
In May 2007, the House of Representatives passed, by a vote of 371-16, a bill by Gillmor and Representative Barney Frank
that blocked retailers such as Wal-Mart
and Home Depot from establishing their own industrial loan companies. Industrial loan companies are state-chartered corporations that are potential competitors of community banks.
townhouse by members of his staff after he failed to show up for a House Financial Services Committee
meeting, and did not respond to repeated telephone calls and e-mails.
The Virginia state medical examiner's office said in a report that Gillmor died from blunt head and neck trauma consistent with a fall down the stairs. Police assessed the scene and ruled out foul play. Gillmor's death was ruled an accident.
In a special election held in December, Bob Latta
, the man Gillmor had narrowly defeated in the 1988 primary, won the seat.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
who served as the U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from the 5th congressional district
Ohio's 5th congressional district
Ohio's 5th congressional district is in northwestern and north central Ohio and borders Michigan and Indiana. The district is currently represented by Republican Bob Latta. Currently, all of Crawford, Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Huron, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, and Wood...
of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
from 1989 until his death.
Early life, career, and family
Gillmor was born in Tiffin, OhioTiffin, Ohio
Tiffin is a city in and the county seat of Seneca County, Ohio, United States. The population was 18,135 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Tiffin as a Tree City USA....
and grew up in Old Fort
Old Fort, Ohio
Old Fort is a census-designated place located in northern Pleasant Township, Seneca County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44861....
; his father owned a trucking business in the area. His mother was Lucy Fry Gillmor. He attended Old Fort High School
Old Fort High School
Old Fort High School is a public high school in Old Fort, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Old Fort Local School District. Their nickname is the Stockaders. They are members of the Midland Athletic League....
, graduating in 1957. In 1961 he received a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
. In 1964, he graduated with a law degree from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
From 1965 to 1966, Gillmor was on active duty in the U.S. Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
as a Judge Advocate, attaining the rank of Captain. He then entered the practice of law.
Paul Gillmor married Brenda Lee Luckey, daughter of Helen and Lee Luckey of Fostoria, Ohio. They had two children, Linda and Julie.
Gillmor's wife Brenda was killed in a car accident in Fremont, Ohio in September 1972. Daughters Linda and Julie, ages 7 and 5 at the time, were in the car.
Gillmor's 2006 financial disclosure placed his wealth between $6.2 and $27.8 million. Much of that is from an eight-branch local bank, Old Fort Bank, owned by Gillmor and his relatives. He was the 43rd-richest member of Congress, according to Roll Call
Roll Call
Roll Call is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States, from Monday to Thursday when the United States Congress is in session and on Mondays only during recess. Roll Call reports news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of...
.
Gillmor married Karen Lako
Karen Gillmor
Karen Gillmor is a Republican politician who served in the Ohio Senate, and who now serves on the Ohio Industrial Commission. She is the widow of former U.S. Congressman Paul Gillmor.-Life and career:...
, who also served in the Ohio Senate
Ohio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
, in 1983. Gillmor had three sons with his wife Karen, Paul Michael and twins Adam and Connor.
Ohio State Senate
Gillmor was elected as an Ohio state senatorOhio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
in 1967, where he remained until being elected to Congress in 1988. He was the Republican Leader from 1978 to 1980 and from 1983 to 1984. After the Republican Party won a majority in the Ohio Senate, Gillmor was elected President of the Senate and served in that office for three General Assemblies
Ohio General Assembly
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate...
from 1981 to 1982 and from 1985 to 1988. He ran in the 1986 Republican primary for governor, but lost to former governor James A. Rhodes.
Elections
In 1988United States House elections, 1988
The U.S. House election, 1988 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1988 which coincided with the election of George H. W. Bush as President...
, Gillmor entered the Republican primary for the 5th District after 30-year incumbent Del Latta
Del Latta
Delbert Leroy "Del" Latta is a former member of the United States House of Representatives. Latta was a Republican from Ohio.-Life and career:...
retired. Latta endorsed his son, Bob
Bob Latta
Robert Edward 'Bob' Latta is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district, the second-largest in the state, includes most of Toledo's suburbs, including Fremont and Bowling Green....
, as his successor; Gillmor defeated him by only 27 votes. He was then handily elected in November and has been reelected nine times in this heavily Republican district, usually by margins of 2-to-1. He ran unopposed in 1992
United States House elections, 1992
The United States House of Representatives elections in 1992 coincided with the 1992 presidential election, in which Democrats Bill Clinton and Al Gore were elected as President and Vice President, respectively, defeating Republican incumbent President George H. W...
.
In 2002
United States House elections, 2002
The Elections for the United States House of Representatives on 5 November 2002 was in the middle of President George W. Bush's first term. Although it was a midterm election, the Republican Party gained a net eight seats, solidifying their majority...
, Gillmor defeated Republican Rex Damschroder
Rex Damschroder
Rex Damschroder is an American politician who has been a member of the Ohio House of Representatives since 2011. He was also a member from 1995 to 2003. Damschroder is the son of Gene Damschroder, who held the same House seat from 1973 to 1983.-Career:...
in the primary http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=76949, in a campaign where Gillmor was accused of ignoring his district and spending almost all of his time at his homes near Washington and Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
.
Committees and positions
Gillmor was the ranking Republican on the Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee. He also served on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and chaired its Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee until the Republicans lost control of Congress following the 2006 electionsUnited States House elections, 2006
- House of Representatives prior to the election :As of November 7, 2006, the U.S. House of the 109th Congress was composed of 229 Republicans, 201 Democrats and 1 Independent . There were also four vacancies...
. In 2006, Gillmor served as a member of a bipartisan reform task force on ethics and congressional mailing practices. He was a member of the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership
Republican Main Street Partnership
The Republican Main Street Partnership is a group of moderate members of the United States Republican Party. They tend away from the dominant social conservatism of many Republicans and towards a moderate fiscal conservatism and limited government to a degree. The group is the rough equivalent of...
.
The American Conservative Union
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...
gave Gillmor's 2005 voting record a rating of 82 points out of a possible 100; the liberal Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action is an American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA works for social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research and supporting progressive candidates.-History:...
gave him a 0 rating.
Gillmor joined with Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
Congressman Barney Frank
Barney Frank
Barney Frank is the U.S. Representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, he is the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States.Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank graduated from Harvard College and...
to propose the Industrial Bank Holding Company Act of 2006, which was designed to prevent retailers such as Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
and Home Depot from operating banks to process their credit card transactions. The Toledo Blade noted that as he fought for the interests of the banking community, Gillmor had opened his own bank in Florida, Panther Community Bank, and was heir to an Ohio bank, Old Fort Bank.
Residency and real estate
Until March 2006, when he bought a condominium in Tiffin for $230,000, Gillmor claimed his boyhood home in Old Fort as his official residence. Both are within his district. However, when Gillmor was not in Washington, D.C., he lived primarily in DublinDublin, Ohio
Dublin is a city in Franklin, Delaware, and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 41,751 at the 2010 census. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Approximately 57,000 people live within the Dublin school district....
, a suburb of Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, about a 90-minute drive from the condominium and outside the district he represents (it is split between the 12th and 15th districts). Gillmor and his wife also owned a townhouse in Arlington, Virginia, purchased in 1989 for $389,000 and valued in 2007 at $640,000. Gillmor's wife works in Columbus as vice chairman of the State Employment Relations Board; prior to being appointed to that position, she was a state senator. Their three sons attend Dublin schools. When asked prior to the November 2006 election how often he stayed at the Tiffin house, Gillmor refused to answer.
His opponents in the last three election cycles prior to his death made an issue of his residence, and many of the condominium's residents claim they rarely saw him there. However, Gillmor long insisted that Seneca County
Seneca County, Ohio
Seneca County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 56,745. Its county seat is Tiffin and it is named for the Seneca Indians.The Tiffin Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Seneca County....
(home to both Old Fort and Tiffin) is his true home. Members of the House are constitutionally required to live only in the state they represent, but it has become a strong convention that they live in the district they represent as well.
In March 2007, Gillmor and his family moved into a new house in Dublin. In 2004, the land where that house now sits was purchased by Zenith Holding & Trading Corp., a subsidiary of a Columbus law and lobbying firm, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP is a large U.S. law firm and lobbying group based in Columbus, Ohio. It is the largest law firm based in Columbus and the fifth largest in the State of Ohio. In 2008, the National Law Journal ranked the firm the 121st largest in the United States...
. In 2005, Zenith Holding received a construction loan of $967,000, to build the house. Prior to moving into the house, Gillmor and his family lived in a four-bedroom, 3571 square feet (331.8 m²) house in Dublin that they bought in 1996 for $364,900.
In a letter to the Toledo Blade in early May 2007, the firm said that Zenith has the new Dublin house and its land in trust "at the request of, and for the benefit of" Gillmor, who pays the mortgage and taxes. In a follow-up letter to the newspaper, Gillmor said he considers the properties outside his district, in Dublin and Arlington, to be "only real estate investments." In his April 2007 letter to The Blade, Gillmor similarly said that the property was in a trust. But in May 2007, Gillmor's spokesman, Brad Mascho, said that a trustlike entity that is "not a trust" controls the house, so there had been no need to notify the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct that Gillmor was transferring assets into a trust in order to purchase the home.
Banking interests
Gillmor became partial owner of Old Fort Bank in Seneca County, about 60 miles (96.6 km) southeast of Toledo, after the death of his father, Paul M. Gillmor. In 2006, Gillmor received $540,000 in dividends from the bank, for his share of ownership, out of a total of $2 million paid to all shareholders. The bank had total profits of $3.6 million in 2006.In 2007, Gillmor received approval from the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct and the offices of two federal regulators to be an initial director and investor in a new Florida bank, the Panther Community Bank.
In May 2007, the House of Representatives passed, by a vote of 371-16, a bill by Gillmor and Representative Barney Frank
Barney Frank
Barney Frank is the U.S. Representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, he is the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States.Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank graduated from Harvard College and...
that blocked retailers such as Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
and Home Depot from establishing their own industrial loan companies. Industrial loan companies are state-chartered corporations that are potential competitors of community banks.
Death
On September 5, 2007, Gillmor was found dead in his Arlington County, VirginiaArlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
townhouse by members of his staff after he failed to show up for a House Financial Services Committee
United States House Committee on Financial Services
The United States House Committee on Financial Services is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees the entire financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking, and housing industries...
meeting, and did not respond to repeated telephone calls and e-mails.
The Virginia state medical examiner's office said in a report that Gillmor died from blunt head and neck trauma consistent with a fall down the stairs. Police assessed the scene and ruled out foul play. Gillmor's death was ruled an accident.
In a special election held in December, Bob Latta
Bob Latta
Robert Edward 'Bob' Latta is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district, the second-largest in the state, includes most of Toledo's suburbs, including Fremont and Bowling Green....
, the man Gillmor had narrowly defeated in the 1988 primary, won the seat.
See also
- Election Results, U.S. Representative from Ohio, 5th District
- List of United States Representatives from Ohio
External links
- Official campaign site
- Congressional blog by Gillmor
- Federal Election Commission — Paul E Gillmor campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Paul Gillmor issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Paul E. Gillmor campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Paul E. Gillmor (OH) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Paul Gillmor profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Paul Gillmor voting record