Richard A. Hodges (born October 12, 1963) is 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 who served as Director of the

Ohio Department of Health The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for coordinating activities for child and family health services, children with medical handicaps, early intervention services, nutritio ...

from August 2014 to 2017. He is a former member of 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 ...

, serving from 1993 to 1999. He is most known for being the titular defendant in the

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

case ''

Obergefell v. Hodges ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of th ...

'', which he lost, resulting in the legalization of

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

everywhere in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. After resigning his post in 2017, he became an outspoken supporter of

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, Gay men, gay, Bisexuality, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the Capital punishmen ...

and has become friends with his legal opponent,

Jim Obergefell James Obergefell ( ; born July 7, 1966) is an American civil rights activist who was the lead plaintiff in the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court case ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', which legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. Obergefell had sued the ...

Life and career

Hodges graduated from

Archbold High School Archbold High School is a public high school in Archbold, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Archbold Area Schools district. They are members of the Northwest Ohio Athletic League. Athletics State championships * Baseball ...

Archbold, Ohio Archbold is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Fulton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,516 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located about southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, Archbold is home to Northwest Stat ...

and received his

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 ...

with Honors in Government from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

, Oberlin, Ohio. He later earned his

Masters in Public Administration A Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a specialized professional graduate degree in public administration that prepares students for leadership roles, similar or equivalent to a Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the i ...

from the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a Public university, public research university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, ...

. Hodges was appointed County Treasurer of

Fulton County, Ohio Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio west of Toledo. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,713. Its county seat and largest city is Wauseon. The county was created in 1850 with land from Henry, Lucas, and Wil ...

in 1987 and was elected to a full term in 1988. In 1992 he successfully ran for the

. While in the legislature Hodges chaired the House Commerce and Labor Committee responsible for Workers Compensation and employment law. He also served on the Health and Retirement Committee, Ohio Turnpike Commission and the

Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Ohio ( ) is a state in the 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 west, and Michigan to the northwest ...

Oversight Committee. He received the Watchdog of the Treasury from the United Conservatives of Ohio 3 times and the Friend of Life Award from the same organization once. Hodges chose not to run for reelection in 1998, instead choosing to work in the private sector for Community Hospitals of Williams County in

Bryan, Ohio Bryan is a city in, and the county seat of, Williams County, Ohio, United States. It is located in the state's northwestern corner, southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The population was 8,729 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Histo ...

from 1993 to 1998 and later

Fulton County Health Center Fulton County Health Center (FCHC) is a rural critical access hospital. It serves the community of Fulton County, and is located in Wauseon Ohio. Patient care statistics U.S. News & World Report collates the number of patients seen by the ho ...

Wauseon, Ohio Wauseon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County, Ohio, approximately 31 mi (51 km) west of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The population was 7,568 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Wauseon was platt ...

from 1998 to 2000. He became Executive Vice President of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Northwestern Ohio from 2000 to 2005 where he was responsible for collective bargaining, employee assistance plans and Taft-Hartley health and welfare plans. He also served on the Toledo Public Schools Oversight Commission for construction and renovation of over 60 public school buildings in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

as well as the Board of Directors for the Regional Growth Partnership. From 2005 to 2009 he was CEO of the Tucson Association of REALTORS and Multiple Listing Service. While in Tucson he was active in leadership roles in various issue campaigns including the RTA Bond Issue initiative. He served a brief stint as Executive Director of the Metropolitan Builders Association of Greater Milwaukee before returning to Ohio. Hodges was the Executive Director of the

Ohio Turnpike Commission The Ohio Turnpike, officially the James W. Shocknessy Ohio Turnpike, is a controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of Ohio, serving as a primary corridor between Chicago and Pittsburgh. The road runs east–west ...

, from November 2011 to August 2014. While in that post he supported Governor John Kasich's plan to leverage $1 billion in bonds for investment in highway construction projects near the Ohio Turnpike.

''Obergefell v. Hodges''

Hodges took up his position as director of the Ohio Department of Health on August 11, 2014, under an appointment by Ohio governor

John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician and author who was the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001, and a Republican candidate for the pre ...

.Richard Hodges, MPA, Director, Ohio Department of Health
" (August 11, 2014). Ohio Department of Health. Retrieved 2015-04-26. In his capacity as the Director of the Ohio Department of Public Health, Hodges was the lead-named respondent in the 2015

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

case ''

''. The Supreme Court ruled against him, resulting in same-sex marriage being legalized in all 50 states. In 2017, Hodges resigned. Subsequently, he has expressed support for marriage equality—he attended a same-sex wedding just a few days after the decision—and has maintained a friendship with

, the lead plaintiff in the case. The two former opponents have made public appearances together. After leaving government, Hodges became Executive in Residence and

Visiting Professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting scientist, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic fo ...

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, Richard 1963 births County officials in Ohio Living people Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Oberlin College alumni Ohio University faculty People from Sidney, Ohio State cabinet secretaries of Ohio University of Toledo alumni 20th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly