Ralph S. Locher

Ralph Sidney Locher (July 24, 1915–June 18, 2004) was an American politician of the Democratic party who served as the 50th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio.

Locher was born in Moreni, Romania, outside Bucharest in 1915. He graduated from Bluffton College and was admitted to the Ohio bar. He became a close associate of Frank J. Lausche, later Governor of Ohio and U.S. Senator, who nurtured his career. They were instrumental in building the "cosmopolitan Democrats" movement of urban ethnic voters. Locher was law director of Cleveland, Ohio under Mayor Anthony J. Celebrezze beginning in 1953, then succeeded him as mayor in 1962, when Celebrezze was appointed United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by President John F. Kennedy.

Locher served two terms as mayor of Cleveland. His tenure was marked by increasing racial tensions in the city, culminating in the Hough Riots of 1966. Locher lost in the 1967 Cleveland Democratic primary election to Carl B. Stokes. Stokes went on to defeat Republican Seth Taft in the general election, becoming the first African American mayor of a major U.S. city. In spite of being the city's leader, Locher never put on airs and was often seen mowing his lawn where he lived on Ardoon Avenue, in Cleveland's Shaker Square neighborhood.

Locher went on to be elected a probate court judge in 1970, and was elected to the Ohio Supreme Court in 1977, serving two terms. Though a Democrat, he became increaslingly conservative as he got older and with longevity in office frequently voting with Republican justices on worker's compensation and other employment issues. He died in 2004.

Notable Actions

In 1965 he banned all rock concerts in the city following a Rolling Stones performance [http://www.ericnuzum.com/banned/incidents/60s.html] .

References

* "The Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History" by Cleveland Bicentennial Commission (Cleveland, Ohio), David D. Van Tassel (Editor), and John J. Grabowski (Editor) ISBN 0-253-33056-4