Dana Gillman "Buck" Rinehart (February 24, 1946 – February 18, 2015) was an American attorney who served as the 50th
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
, from 1984 to 1992.
Biography
Rinehart was born in
Parkersburg, West Virginia
Parkersburg is a city in Wood County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. Located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Little Kanawha River, Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's List of municipalities in West Virginia ...
in 1946. Having served in the
United States Marine Corps Reserve
The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedit ...
, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, Rinehart attended
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...
in Columbus, earning a B.A. in Political Science. He later attended
Moritz College of Law
The Michael E. Moritz College of Law is the law school of Ohio State University, a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1891, the school is located in Drinko Hall on the main campus of the Ohio State University in C ...
at Ohio State, graduating
cum laude
Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
.
Rinehart began his career as treasurer of
Franklin County, Ohio
Franklin County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,323,807, making it the List of counties in Ohio, most populous county in Ohio. Most of its la ...
, from 1976-1984. As County Treasurer, he posted a sign at the county building listing the names of real-estate tax scofflaws, the "Dirty Dozen".
After mounting a failed 1982 campaign for governor, Rinehart ran for mayor in 1983, to replace outgoing Republican mayor,
Tom Moody
Thomas Masson Moody (born 2 October 1965) is a former Australian international cricketer and current Director of Cricket of Sri Lanka Cricket. He ended his long tenure with the Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad in August 2022 and ...
(1972–1984). Rinehart narrowly won the election to become the 50th mayor of Columbus. He won re-election in 1987. Rinehart did not seek a third term after the revelation of his affair with Brenda Dodrill, whom he later married.
His term of mayor was characterized by an intense effort to distance Columbus, Ohio from its
cowtown reputation (New World Center, 1986; convention center/arena complex, 1987; acquiring St. Louis Cardinals NFL football team, 1988).
In an April 2, 2013, article, the Columbus Dispatch described Rinehart's eight years as the city's mayor as "tumultuous." "No idea was too big, no plan too outrageous for Rinehart," the Dispatch reported. "During his administration, the city built a $28 million Downtown safety building, the Franklin County Solid Waste Authority was established, I-670 from Downtown to Port Columbus was completed, City Center mall was planned and built (and is now a downtown park), redevelopment of the Short North and Brewery District got under way, the Martin Luther King Center was developed, and retail and residential growth began at Easton." Rinehart's leadership lead to the annexation of the Polaris area and the successful development of Southern Delaware County.
However, the Dispatch also said that Rinehart made "glaring mistakes." One example cited by the Dispatch was Rinehart taking a
wrecking ball
A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a Crane (machine), crane, that is used for Demolition, demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1940s and 1950s. Several wrecking companies claim to have inve ...
to what was then the 120-year-old facade of the old
Ohio Penitentiary
The Ohio Penitentiary, also known as the Ohio State Penitentiary, was a prison operated from 1834 to 1984 in downtown Columbus, Ohio, in what is now known as the Arena District. The state had built a small prison in Columbus in 1813, but as th ...
on Spring Street, only to learn later that the city didn’t have permission for demolition.
After leaving office, Rinehart returned to practicing law at Rinehart, Rishel & Cuckler, Ltd, where his clients included powerful business interests. For example, a July 4, 2011, Cleveland.com article reported that Rinehart lobbied for the Ohio Independent Automobile Dealers Association.
Rinehart died from pancreatic cancer on February 18, 2015.
References
External links
Buck Rinehartat ''
Political Graveyard
The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations o ...
''
* An interview with former mayor of Columbus, Buck Rinehart (1984-1992). The interview was hosted by The Columbus Metropolitan Club. Published March 5, 2014, on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
; 51 minutes.
Rinehart, Rishel & CucklerThe private law firm that Rinehart works as
Partner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rinehart, Dana G.
1946 births
2015 deaths
20th-century mayors of places in Ohio
Mayors of Columbus, Ohio
Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences alumni
United States Marine Corps officers
Ohio lawyers
Ohio Republicans
Politicians from Parkersburg, West Virginia
Ohio State University Moritz College of Law alumni
20th-century American lawyers
Lawyers from Parkersburg, West Virginia
Military personnel from West Virginia