nationality birth_date residence birthname term_end alma_mater profession term_start order image name predecessor birth_place party office governor successor religion article_title
american 28 february 1948 cincinnati , ohio john kenneth blackwell january 8 , 2007 january 8 , 1999 1980 xavier university politician & syndicated columnist january 8 , 1999 march 1 , 1994 1979 mayor of cincinnati , ohio ken blackwell.jpg ken blackwell bob taft mary ellen withrow bobbie l. sterne alliance , ohio republican party ohio secretary of state ohio state treasurer nancy hollister bob taft george voinovich nancy hollister jennifer brunner joe deters david s. mann evangelical ken blackwell

ken blackwell

john kenneth `` ken '' blackwell -lrb- born february 28 , 1948 -rrb- is an american politician and activist who served as the mayor of cincinnati , ohio from 1979 to 1980 , the ohio state treasurer from 1994 to 1999 , and ohio secretary of state from 1999 to 2007 .
he was the republican candidate for governor of ohio in 2006 and got 37 % of the vote against the eventual victor , ted strickland .
he was the first african american to be a major-party candidate for governor in ohio .
