Jo Ann Davidson, Ohio’s first and only female House speaker, to lie in state at Statehouse

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The late Jo Ann Davidson is set to lie in state at the Ohio Statehouse ahead of a public memorial service. Davidson died Friday at 97. She was Ohio’s first and only female House speaker and a force in state and national Republican politics. She is the first woman to be honored with such a public viewing. The last person to lie in state was former astronaut and U.S. Sen. John Glenn in 2016. Davidson spent nearly 60 years in politics, rising from a local city council to leading the Ohio House to serving as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.