Former Ohio Gov. Rhodes Dead At 91

Former Gov. James A. Rhodes, whose decision to quell an anti-war protest by sending National Guard troops to Kent State University in 1970 led to four student deaths, died Sunday. He was 91.

Rhodes, the state's only four-term governor, died at 2:45 p.m. at Ohio State University Medical Center from complications from an infection and heart failure.

The son of a coal miner, Rhodes rose from poverty to become Columbus mayor when he was 33. The election marked the beginning of a political career that spanned nearly 50 years.

Rhodes was credited with bringing many industries to Ohio. During his administrations, the state built highways, expanded the university system and put an airport in almost every county.

A college dropout, he also was credited with making Ohio a leader in vocational education.

Senator Mike DeWine says Rhodes will not be remembered for the shootings but rather for his vision that every Ohioan could go to college.

DeWine says when Rhodes gave speeches, he always spoke of Ohio's greatness. Dewine says Rhodes truly understood the state and its people.

Ohio Governor Bob Taft also has words of praise for Rhodes, who says he loved Ohio like no other and left a rich legacy for Ohio governors to preserve.

The Kent State shootings cast an indelible shadow on Rhodes' career.

On May 2, 1970, he decided to send the National Guard to Kent State, which, like campuses across the nation, was in turmoil over the incursion into Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Protesters had vandalized businesses in downtown Kent and the campus ROTC building was burned.

On May 4, four students died and nine were wounded when troops opened fire.

Lawsuits against Rhodes and other officials ended in January 1979, when the victims' families agreed to settlements totaling $675,000.

Those close to him said he was saddened by the tragedy but blamed the turbulence of the war era and believed his action was necessary. Already that year there had been three riots on Ohio campuses.

"The Kent State call came from the merchants and county commissioners because of the conditions that were existing the night before," Rhodes said years later. "You see, it was a consensus."

In 1999, Rhodes still believed the protesters were misguided: "It was people who thought something was wrong with America."

When he ran in the GOP Senate primary on May 5, 1970 - the day after the Kent State shootings - he lost to Robert Taft Jr., the father of current Gov. Bob Taft - by 6,000 votes out of about 900,000 cast.

He made a comeback in 1974, narrowly defeating Democratic Gov. John Gilligan. He served two more terms, then tried another comeback in 1986, but lost.

In later years, Rhodes was an Ohio presidential campaign adviser to Ronald Reagan and the elder George Bush, who said he helped them carry the state.

Rhodes' wife, Helen, died in 1987. He is survived by two daughters.

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