Maynard Edward "Jack" Sensenbrenner (September 18, 1902 – August 2, 1991) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
politician of the
Democratic party, who served as a
populist
Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...
mayor of Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio
* Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...
,
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
.
Biography
The son of a jeweler, Sensenbrenner was born in rural
Circleville, Ohio
Circleville is a city in Pickaway County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The city is situated along the Scioto River 25 miles (40 km) south of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 13,927 at the 2020 United States census, 2 ...
, south of Columbus on
U.S. Route 23. Sensenbrenner graduated from
Circleville High School and attended a
Bible college
A Bible college, sometimes referred to as a Bible institute or theological institute or theological seminary, is an evangelical Christian or Restoration Movement Christianity, Christian institution of higher education which prepares students for C ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, intending to follow his twin brother Marion into the ministry, but he did not complete the course. Sensenbrenner worked in a variety of jobs, including working in oil fields and for the advertising department of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
''. During the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
, he worked as a
Fuller Brush
The Fuller Brush Company is an American company that sells branded and private label products for personal care, as well as for commercial and household cleaning. It was founded in 1906 by Alfred Fuller. Consolidated Foods (now Sara Lee Corpora ...
salesman in southern California. His move to the west coast was prompted by Mildred Harriet Sexauer, the niece of a former mayor of
Lancaster, Ohio
Lancaster ( ) is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, and its county seat. The population was 40,552 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Ohio, Ohio's 30th largest city, having surpassed Warren, Ohio, Warren and Fin ...
. When her family moved out West to find work, Jack followed. Jack and Mildred married in 1927 and remained married for over fifty years, producing three children, Patricia (died at birth), Edward and Richard. In 1934, he returned to Circleville and started working in sales. Soon after he moved to Columbus, settling on the West side where he became a partner in a religious bookstore.
In 1953, Sensenbrenner, then a stranger to politics (although he had been active in the Columbus community) surprised the
Franklin County Democratic Committee with a visit to announce his intentions to run for mayor of Columbus. The party was without any strong hopefuls — Columbus had not had a Democratic mayor since 1935 — but they would not endorse Sensenbrenner. Only after a runoff within the party did Sensenbrenner secure the Democratic nomination. His upset win in 1954 was written up around the country. His success might have largely been due to Sensenbrenner's decision to campaign on local television, which was uncommon at the time.
Sensenbrenner was unseated from 1960 to 1963 by Republican
Ralston Westlake
Wallace Ralston Westlake (August 27, 1907 – December 9, 1978) was an United States of America, American politician of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party from the U.S. state of Ohio. He was the List of mayors of Columbus, Ohi ...
, but was reelected to a second mayoral term. He served as Columbus's mayor from 1954 to 1960 and again from 1964 to 1972. He laid the groundwork for the massive growth of Columbus in the late 20th century by requiring all neighborhoods that accepted city water service to be annexed into the city. His policy allowed Columbus to grow to become the largest city in Ohio.
Under his leadership Columbus grew by more than . He would be the city's last Democratic mayor for 28 years.
Sensenbrenner was a popular political character in Columbus, known for throwing around terms like ''spizzerinctum'', which, he said, was the quality that made "Columbus, the United States of America, the Boy Scouts of America ... absolutely dynamic." (He picked up the term from his high school football coach.) He habitually wore a straw skimmer hat and at the drop of a hat would perform an old-fashioned shuffle dance. His creed "God, Love and Country" helped to win Columbus the coveted "
All-America City Award
The All-America City Award is a community recognition program in the United States given by the National Civic League. The award recognizes the work of communities in using inclusive civic engagement to address critical issues and create stron ...
" from the
National Civic League
The National Civic League is an American nonpartisan, non-profit organization founded in 1894 as the "National Municipal League”; it adopted its new name in 1986. Its mission is to advance civic engagement to create equitable, thriving communit ...
in 1958.
When the
Columbus Zoo's western lowland gorilla
The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in Montane ecosystems#Montane forests, montane, Old-growth forest, primary and sec ...
had her first baby in 1968, the name Emmy was chosen for the little girl, named after "M. E." Sensenbrenner. Emmy died in 1982. Her mother
Colo was the first gorilla born in captivity and proved to be longest living gorilla in captivity as of her death in 2017.
The Sensenbrenners' grandson, Edward's son Richard Sensenbrenner, served as a member of the Columbus city council.
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
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External links
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Jack Sensenbrennerat ''
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 ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sensenbrenner, Jack
1902 births
1991 deaths
20th-century mayors of places in Ohio
Mayors of Columbus, Ohio
People from Circleville, Ohio
Ohio Democrats
Los Angeles Times people