Former Ohio House Speaker Charles Kurfess dies at age 94
COLUMBUS – Charles Kurfess, former Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives and a distinguished figure in the state’s legal and legislative sectors, died on March 1 at 94.
Kurfess, a Republican, served in the Ohio General Assembly from 1956-1978), including six as Speaker of the House from 1967 through 1972. In addition to serving 12 years on the bench as a Wood County Common Pleas judge in Bowling Green.
Gov. Mike Dewine paid tribute to Kurfess’s legacy, noting his exemplary service to Ohio.
“Fran and I are saddened to hear of the death of former Ohio House Speaker Chuck Kurfess,” Dewine said in a statement.
“Chuck was a true public servant who represented northwest Ohio so very well, serving in both the House and as Wood County Common Pleas Judge,” Dewine said in a statement. “As Speaker, he always looked at the big picture of what was best for all Ohioans and for our children.”
“Through the years when I visited Bowling Green, I would often see him, and I always enjoyed our conversations, Dewine said. “He always stayed in touch with what was going on in Ohio, and I appreciated his wise counsel over the years. (Ohio first lady) Fran and I extend our sincerest condolences to Chuck’s family.”
U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-bowling Green, along with his wife, Marcia, offered their condolences, recognizing Kurfess’s unwavering dedication to public service.
“His service in the Ohio House of Representatives as Speaker and his decades of service to the citizens of Wood County as a state representative and Common Pleas Judge was an untiring commitment to public service,” Rep. Latta said. “He truly believed in putting the people he served first, and his dedication will be greatly missed.”
“During his legislative career, Kurfess was instrumental in spearheading initiatives related to judicial reform, criminal justice reform, civil rights, and access to justice,” the Ohio Bar Association said in 2017 when Kurfess was presented the Thomas J. Moyer Award for Judicial Excellence.
“Remarkably, in 1978, (Kurfess) demonstrated progressive leadership by selecting a woman as his running mate for the gubernatorial race, a first in Ohio’s political history, the association noted. “After his time in the legislature, Kurfess resumed his legal practice in Wood County and took up a judgeship as a common pleas judge in 1990.”
The Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission notes that Kurfess served in the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corp in the Far East during the Korean Conflict and operated a general law practice in Bowling Green for 33 years.
Among other service, he was appointed by Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford to the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, the commission noted.
He is a graduate of Bowling Green State University and the Ohio
State University’s Moritz School of Law.
The location of his passing was not immediately
available. The Marsh & Marsteller Funeral Homes are handling arrangements.