Jennette B. Bradley (born October 2, 1952) is an American politician of the Republican party and served as the 62nd lieutenant governor of Ohio from 2003 to 2005 and Ohio State Treasurer from 2005 to 2007. Bradley was the first African American woman elected to statewide office in Ohio.
Early life and education
Bradley was born in Columbus, Ohio. Her family settled in a neighborhood on Columbus' east side after her father retired from the United States Army. After graduating from East High School in 1970, Bradley attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio and earned a degree in psychology.
Early professional career
Bradley took a job with the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority. She became the first black woman to serve as the executive director of the Authority when she was 28 years old. She also worked on the Wittenberg Board of Trustees. In 1986, Bradley moved to Washington, D.C. She returned to Columbus in 1989 and worked as a senior executive for Huntington National Bank.
Lieutenant governor
In 2002 Governor Bob Taft announced he had chosen Bradley to replace Maureen O'Connor as his running mate. Many conservatives did not support Bradley because she was pro-choice. Critics of the Taft-Bradley ticket were also concerned about her City Council vote to extend city workers' health care benefits to include domestic partners and same-sex couples. However, Bradley was defeated by conservative Tea Party-backed Ashtabula County Auditor Sandra O'Brien in the May 2006 Republican primary election. She returned to private life in 2007 and has occasionally consulted for the Columbus City Council.
See also
- List of female lieutenant governors in the United States
- List of minority governors and lieutenant governors in the United States