Rhine Lana McLin (born October 1948) is an American Democratic politician from

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 ...

who served as the 54th mayor of

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

, from 2002 to 2010. McLin previously served as a member of both chambers of the

Ohio General Assembly The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Colu ...

Education

McLin received her

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

and

secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

from

Parsons College Parsons College was a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college located in Fairfield, Iowa. The school was named for its wealthy benefactor, Lewis B. Parsons Sr., and was founded in 1875 with one ...

and her

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum an ...

in guidance counseling from

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier had an enrollment of approximately 5,600 undergraduate an ...

. She also holds an

associate's degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree. ...

mortuary science Mortuary science is the study of deceased bodies through mortuary A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, crema ...

granted by the

Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science (CCMS) is a private mortuary science college in Cincinnati, Ohio. CCMS is the oldest school of its kind in the United States, tracing its history back to the Clarke School, which organized its first class ...

Career

In 1988, when McLin's father, C. J. McLin, died, Rhine was appointed to serve the remainder of his term in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

. She was then elected to the seat in 1990, and re-elected in 1992. She then was elected to the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of t ...

in 1994, and re-elected to the senate in 1998. In 2001, McLin was named Minority Leader (completing the term of Ohio senator Ben Espy). She served as Minority Leader until she left the Senate in 2002, barred by term limits from running for re-election again that year. She ran for the office of mayor of

Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...

. McLin was elected mayor of Dayton in 2001, defeating incumbent Republican Michael R. Turner and began serving her term in 2002. She was re-elected in 2005, defeating opponent David R. Bohardt. McLin was an Ohio delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention. In 2009, she lost re-election for mayor. In 1994, McLin became the first African-American woman elected to the Ohio State Senate. She was the first African-American woman to serve as Ohio Senate minority leader. Upon leaving the Senate, she became the first woman to serve as mayor of Dayton. She is the third African-American mayor of Dayton. Finally, in late 2005 she was the first African-American woman to serve as head of the

Ohio Democratic Party The Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Ohio. Former state representative Kathleen Clyde has been the party's chairwoman since June 2025. Statewide, the Democrats currently are viewed as th ...

. Since 2012, McLin has served as the Vice Chairwoman of the

. In August 2012, McLin was mentioned as a possible candidate to fill the Ohio state representative seat vacated by

Clayton Luckie Clayton R. Luckie II was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 39th District since his appointment in 2006 until his decision to withdraw from the race for re-election in 201 ...

, but she ultimately declined to run.WDTN.com - Former Dayton mayor won't run for state rep
.

References

External links

Profile on the Ohio Ladies' Gallery websiteOral history interview from Bowling Green State University Library Archives
from July 20, 2021 *''Follow the Money'' - Rhine McLin
200019981996
Ohio Senate campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:McLin, Rhine 1948 births African-American mayors in Ohio African-American state legislators in Ohio Central State University faculty Embalmers American funeral directors Living people Mayors of Dayton, Ohio Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Ohio General Assembly Democratic Party Ohio state senators Xavier University alumni Women mayors of places in Ohio Women state legislators in Ohio 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American women politicians American women academics 20th-century African-American women politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians African-American women mayors 20th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly 21st-century mayors of places in Ohio