Tom Heydinger is a former Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Ohio House of Representatives

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....

, represented the 58th District briefly in 2008.

Life and career

A native of Plymouth, Ohio

Plymouth, Ohio

Plymouth is a village in Huron and Richland counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 1,852 at the 2000 census.The Richland County portion of Plymouth is part of the Mansfield Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Huron County portion is part of the Norwalk Micropolitan Statistical...

, Heydinger is a veteran of the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

, where he flew helicopters for the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. He later returned home a opted to vie for a law degree. Heydinger is married.

A former judge, Heydinger served on the bench in Crawford County, Ohio

Crawford County, Ohio

Crawford County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. It was named for Colonel William Crawford, a soldier during the American Revolution....

, and as an assistant Ohio Attorney General

Ohio Attorney General

The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Mike DeWine.-History:...

. He then served as a prosecutor for Huron County, Ohio

Huron County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 59,487 people, 22,307 households, and 16,217 families residing in the county. The population density was 121 people per square mile . There were 23,594 housing units at an average density of 48 per square mile...

 before Ohio Governor John Gilligan

John Gilligan

John Gilligan is an Irish criminal.John Gilligan was born to a poor family from the Ballyfermot area of Dublin city. His father, John, was a violent alcoholic who subjected his wife, Sarah, to horrific beatings. This had a profound effect on the young Gilligan...

 appointed Gilligan to the Huron County Common Pleas Court, where he served from 1975 until 2003.

Ohio House of Representatives

In early 2008, freshman Representative Matt Barrett

Matt Barrett (Ohio politician)

Matt Barrett is a former Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, who represented the 58th District from 2007 to 2008.-Life and career:...

 ran into ethics trouble after mistakenly showing pornography

Pornography

Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...

 to high school students during a presentation. He resigned, leaving House Democrats to appoint a replacement to the seat. While numerous candidates applied for the position, Heydinger was chosen. He was sworn into office on May 21, 2008.

Initially, Heydinger sought the seat in the 2008 election. However, Heydinger dropped out of the race, citing mounting health problems and inside influences from the Ohio Democratic Party

Ohio Democratic Party

The Ohio Democratic Party is the Ohio affiliate to the United States Democratic Party. Former Ohio House Minority Leader Chris Redfern is the Ohio Democratic Party chairman. Redfern was elected to office in December 2005...

. The seat was won by Republican Terry Boose

Terry Boose

Terry Boose is a Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 58th District since 2009.-Background:Boose earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Texas Tech University, and...

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