IV 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 122

Recognizing the bicentennial of the admission of Ohio into the Union and 

the contributions of Ohio residents to the economic, social, and cultural 

development of the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 4, 2003

Mr. REGULA (for himself, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. GILLMOR, 

Mr. HOBSON, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. 

LATOURETTE, Mr. NEY, Mr. OXLEY, Mr. PORTMAN, Ms. PRYCE of Ohio, 

Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. STRICKLAND, Mr. TIBERI, and Mr. TURNER of 

Ohio) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform 

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the bicentennial of the admission of Ohio into 

the Union and the contributions of Ohio residents to 

the economic, social, and cultural development of the 

United States.

Whereas Ohio residents will celebrate 2003 as the 200th anniversary of Ohio’s admission into the Union; 

Whereas Ohio was the 17th State to be admitted to the 

Union and was the first State to be created from the 

Northwest Territory; 

Whereas ‘‘Ohio’’ is derived from the Iroquois word meaning 

‘‘great river’’, referring to the Ohio River which forms 
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the southern boundary and a portion of the eastern 

boundary of the State; 

Whereas Ohio was the site of battles of the American Indian 

Wars, French and Indian Wars, Revolutionary War, the 

War of 1812, and the Civil War; 

Whereas in the nineteenth century, Ohio, a free state, was an 

important stop on the Underground Railroad as a destination for more than 100,000 individuals escaping slavery and seeking freedom; 

Whereas Ohio, which is known as ‘‘The Mother of Presidents’’, has given eight United States presidents to the 

Nation, including William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. 

Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and 

Warren G. Harding; 

Whereas Ohio inventors, including Thomas Edison (incandescent light bulb), Orville and Wilbur Wright (first in 

flight), Henry Timken (roller bearings), Charles Kettering (automobile starter), Charles Goodyear (process of 

vulcanizing rubber), Garrett Morgan (traffic light), and 

Roy Plunkett (Teflon), created the basis for modern living as we know it; 

Whereas Ohio, which is also known as ‘‘The Birthplace of 

Aviation’’, has been home to 24 astronauts, including 

John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and Judith Resnick; 

Whereas Ohio has a rich sports tradition and has produced 

many sports legends, including Annie Oakley, Jesse 

Owens, Cy Young, Jack Nicklaus, and Nancy Lopez; 

Whereas Ohio has produced many distinguished writers including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 

Toni Morrison, and James Thurber; 
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Whereas the agriculture and agribusiness industry is and has 

long been the number one industry in Ohio, contributing 

$73,000,000,000 annually to Ohio’s economy and employing 1 in 6 Ohioans, and that industry’s tens of thousands of Ohio farmers and 14,000,000 acres of Ohio 

farmland feed the people of the State, the Nation, and 

the world; 

Whereas the enduring manufacturing economy of Ohio is responsible for 1⁄4 of Ohio’s Gross State Product, provides 

over one million well-paying jobs to Ohioans, exports 

$26,000,000,000 in products to 196 countries, and provides over $1,000,000,000 in tax revenues to local schools 

and governments; 

Whereas Ohio is home to over 140 colleges and universities 

which have made significant contributions to the intellectual life of the State and Nation, and continued investment in education is Ohio’s promise to future economic 

development in the ‘‘knowledge economy’’ of the 21st 

century; 

Whereas, from its inception, Ohio has been a prime destination for immigrants, and the rich cultural and ethnic heritage that has been interwoven into the spirit of the people of Ohio and that enriches Ohio’s communities and the 

quality of life of its residents is both a tribute to, and 

representative of, the Nation’s diversity; 

Whereas Ohio began celebrations commemorating its bicentennial on March 1, 2003, in Chillicothe, the first capital 

of Ohio; and 

Whereas the bicentennial celebrations will include Inventing 

Flight in Dayton (celebrating the centennial of flight), 

Tall Ships on Lake Erie, Tall Stacks on the Ohio River, 
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Red, White, and Bicentennial Boom in Columbus, and 

the Bicentennial Wagon Train across the State: Now, 

therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives recog2 nizes—

3 (1) the bicentennial of the admission of Ohio 

4 into the Union; and 

5 (2) the residents of Ohio for their important 

6 contributions to the economic, social, and cultural 

7 development of the United States.

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