Thomas John Herbert (October 28, 1894 – October 26, 1974) was an American Republican 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 ...

. He was the 56th

governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

. Herbert was born in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Herbert served in the

Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...

. While flying with

No. 56 Squadron RAF Number 56 Squadron, also known as No. 56 Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), nicknamed ''the Firebirds'' for their ability to always reappear intact regardless of the odds, is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons of the Royal Air For ...

in France, he was wounded in action 8 August 1918. He was awarded the British Distinguished Flying Cross & American

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

.National Archives AIR 27/527/1 After the war, Herbert returned to Ohio, where he graduated from

Case Western Reserve University School of Law Case Western Reserve University School of Law is the law school of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. It was one of the first schools accredited by the American Bar Association. It is a member of the Association of American Law Sc ...

in 1919,The Supreme Court of Ohio and The Ohio Judicial System – Thomas James Herbert
/ref> and practiced law. He served as State Attorney General from 1939 to 1945. In the Republican landslide year of 1946, Herbert defeated incumbent governor Frank J. Lausche. Lausche defeated Herbert in the latter's bid for re-election two years later. Herbert served as a justice of the

Ohio Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...

from 1957 until 1963. He suffered a stroke March 21, 1961, and decided not to run for re-election. Herbert married Jeanette Judson of Cleveland on April 30, 1919, and they had four children. Jeanette died December 30, 1945. Herbert remarried, while Governor, Mildred Helen Stevenson of

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

on January 3, 1948. They had one daughter. Mildred died in 1962. Herbert died October 26, 1974, at age 79, after years of illness. His son John D. Herbert was

Ohio State Treasurer The treasurer of the U.S. state of Ohio is responsible for collecting and safeguarding taxes and fees, as well as managing state investments. The Treasury was located in the Ohio Statehouse from 1861 to 1974, when it was moved to the Rhodes Stat ...

for two terms, 1963 to 1971 and an unsuccessful candidate for

Ohio Attorney General The Ohio attorney general is the chief legal officer of the state of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio attorney general is Republican Dave Yost. History The office of the att ...

in 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herbert, Thomas J. 1894 births 1974 deaths Republican Party governors of Ohio Ohio attorneys general Justices of the Supreme Court of Ohio Case Western Reserve University School of Law alumni Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Politicians from Cleveland Politicians from Columbus, Ohio United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I 20th-century Ohio state court judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century Ohio politicians