Ken Blackwell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ken Blackwell
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Blackwell in 2011
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| 48th Secretary of State of Ohio | |
| In office January 8, 1999 – January 8, 2007 |
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| Governor | Nancy Hollister Bob Taft |
| Preceded by | Bob Taft |
| Succeeded by | Jennifer Brunner |
| Treasurer of Ohio | |
| In office March 1, 1994 – January 8, 1999 |
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| Governor | George Voinovich Nancy Hollister |
| Preceded by | Mary Ellen Withrow |
| Succeeded by | Joe Deters |
| Mayor of Cincinnati | |
| In office 1979–1980 |
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| Preceded by | Bobbie Sterne |
| Succeeded by | David Mann |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Kenneth Blackwell
February 28, 1948 Alliance, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Xavier University (BS, MEd) |
John Kenneth Blackwell (born February 28, 1948) is an American politician and author. He has held several important jobs in Ohio's government. He was the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, the Ohio State Treasurer, and the Ohio Secretary of State.
In 2006, he was the Republican candidate for governor of Ohio. He was the first African-American to be chosen by a major party to run for governor of Ohio. Today, he works with groups like the Family Research Council and the Council For National Policy.
Contents
Early Life and School
Ken Blackwell was born in Alliance, Ohio. His mother, Dana, was a nurse, and his father, George, was a meatpacker. He grew up in Cincinnati and went to Hughes High School.
Blackwell earned a football scholarship to Xavier University. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1970 and a Master of Education degree in 1971. After college, he was invited to try out for the Dallas Cowboys football team. He decided not to pursue football and later taught at Xavier University.
He married his wife, Rosa, in 1969. They have three children. His uncle, DeHart Hubbard, was a famous Olympic athlete. Hubbard won a gold medal in the long jump at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
Political Career
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Blackwell's political career began on the Cincinnati city council. In 1978, he was elected mayor of Cincinnati. As mayor, he created a task force to study crowd safety after a tragic incident at a rock concert.
Later, Blackwell became a member of the Republican Party. President George H. W. Bush appointed him to a position in the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1989 to 1990. He also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights from 1992 to 1993.
In 1994, Blackwell was appointed Ohio State Treasurer. The treasurer is in charge of the state's money. He was elected to keep that job later in 1994. In 1998, he was elected Ohio Secretary of State. The Secretary of State is in charge of elections and business records in the state. He was re-elected to this role in 2002.
Ohio Secretary of State
As Secretary of State, Blackwell was Ohio's chief elections officer. This role became very important during the 2004 U.S. presidential election, because Ohio was a key "swing state," meaning it had a large number of voters who were not loyal to a single party.
2004 Election Rules
Before the 2004 election, there was a debate about voting rules. Blackwell wanted to enforce a state law about provisional ballots. These are special ballots for voters whose names don't appear on the registration list at a polling place.
A disagreement arose over whether people who voted in the wrong location could have their votes counted. A court ruled that poll workers must give a provisional ballot to anyone who asks for one. However, the court also said that if a voter was at the wrong polling place, their ballot would not be counted.
Release of Private Information
In March 2006, Blackwell's office accidentally posted a file on a website that included the Social Security numbers of over a million Ohio citizens. The office quickly removed the information.
A month later, another mistake happened. Computer disks containing the names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of 5.7 million voters were sent out. The office apologized and tried to get all the disks back. The state's attorney general started an investigation to make sure the private data was safe.
Voting Machine Issues
In 2006, new voting machines made by Diebold Election Systems had problems during an election in Cuyahoga County. The machines gave inconsistent results, so officials had to count over 18,000 paper ballots by hand. Blackwell ordered an investigation into what went wrong.
2006 Campaign for Governor
In 2006, Blackwell ran for Governor of Ohio. He won the Republican primary election but lost the main election to the Democratic candidate, Ted Strickland.
Blackwell's campaign focused on conservative ideas. He was supported by many religious groups and organizations that support gun rights, like the NRA. The election in Ohio received a lot of attention from across the country.
Later Work
After his political career in Ohio, Blackwell remained active in national politics.
- Republican National Committee: In 2009, he ran for chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), the main organizing group for the Republican Party. He withdrew from the race after the fourth round of voting.
- Family Research Council: He became a Senior Fellow at the Family Research Council, a conservative group that focuses on family issues.
- Trump Transition Team: In 2016, he was part of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team, where he helped select people for government jobs related to domestic issues.
See also
- Ohio's 1st congressional district
- List of African-American Republicans
Images for kids
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Blackwell speaking at the 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference
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