SenPresOfficeNiehaus_ready_to_upload
The Senate President's office features the portraits of Governor Salmon P. Chase,
Governor Thomas Kirker, a former Speaker of the Senate and Governor Edward Tiffin.
SenatePresidentTitle

The Senate President is elected at the beginning of each two-year General Assembly. The current President of the Ohio Senate is Thomas E. Niehaus of
Niehaus_as_of_Aug_8_2011
Senate President Thomas E. Niehaus
presides over Senate session.
New Richmond, Ohio, who represents the 14th Senate District. Senator Niehaus was first elected President of the Senate in 2011. His current term will end in 2012 at the close of the 129th General Assembly.

The title and function of the presiding officer of the state Senate has evolved over time. From 1803 until 1851, a speaker served as head of the Senate. As part of Ohio's second constitution of 1851, the lieutenant governor was assigned the duties of presiding officer. For more than 100 years, the highest ranking legislator and leader of the majority party was the president pro tempore.

It wasn't until 1979 that the position of Senate President as we know it today was established. In the 1978 election, Ohioans elected the governor and the lieutenant governor as a ticket for the first time, changing the lieutenant governor's duties. This cleared the way for the Senate majority party to select a Senate President from within its ranks to preside over the body.

For more information about the Senate President, his duties, and the duties of the leaders representing the majority and minority caucuses, please visit the Senate Leadership page.