Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr.
Anthony Joseph "Tony" Celebrezze Jr. (
1941–
July 4,
2003) was an
American politician of the
Democratic party. He was the son of
Anthony J. Celebrezze Sr..
Celebrezze was graduated from John Marshall High School in
Cleveland, Ohio. He was graduated from the
United States Naval Academy in 1963. He served in the
United States Navy for five years and was awarded the
Naval Commendation Medal. In 1974, Celebrezze was awarded a
Juris Doctor degree from
Cleveland State University.
Celebrezze was elected an Ohio state senator in
1974. While in the Ohio General Assembly, he was known for his honesty and fair dealing.
He served as Ohio secretary of state from 1979 to 1983 and as Ohio attorney general from 1983 to 1991.
In 1978, Celebrezze defeated incumbent
Republican Ted W. Brown in the election for Ohio secretary of state.
In 1982, Celebrezze won election as attorney general by defeating
Republican Charles R. Saxbe. Celebrezze easily won re-election as attorney general in 1986 by defeating
Barry Levey.
While serving as attorney general, Celebrezze fought a legal battle against the
United States Department of Energy over the nuclear and chemical pollution at the Fernald nuclear weapons plant, which for years had been kept secret under the disguise of the Feeds Materials Production Center. The legal victory gave the Ohio state government the right to regulate the clean-up of the site.
In 1990, Celebrezze ran for governor to replace
Richard F. Celeste, who was barred from running for a third consecutive term. Celebrezze lost that race to Republican
George Voinovich. Some analysts attribute his loss, in part, to Celebrezze's much-criticized switch from his long-held anti-abortion views to a pro-choice position.
Celebrezze died on July 4, 2003, of a heart attack after finishing third in a vintage auto race at a racing track in
De Graff, Ohio.
Celebrezze was the son of
Anthony Celebrezze and Anne M. Celebrezze. Celebrezze's cousins were former Ohio Chief Justice
Frank Celebrezze and former Ohio Supreme Court Judge
James Celebrezze. Celebrezze was the father of
Anthony J. Celebrezze III and the uncle of Ohio appeals court judge
Frank D. Celebrezze Jr.. His uncle was
Frank D. Celebrezze I. His wife was Louisa Godwin Celebrezze and their five children were Anthony J. Celebrezze III, Catherine Celebrezze, Charles Celebrezze, David Celebrezze, and Maria McBride. His sisters were named Jean Porto and Susan Sullivan.
See also:
*
Election Results, Ohio Governor*
Election Results, Ohio Governor (Democratic Primaries)
