Dick Celeste
Encyclopedia
Richard Frank "Dick" Celeste (born November 11, 1937) is an American
politician from Ohio
, and a member of the Democratic Party. He served as the 64th Governor of Ohio from 1983-1991.
(New Haven, Connecticut
). He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Celeste then received a Rhodes Scholarship
to attend Oxford University (Oxford, England). There he met Dagmar Ingrid Braun
, whom he married in Austria
in 1962. After returning to the United States, Celeste served as staff liaison office in the Peace Corps
and as special assistant to Chester Bowles
, then United States Ambassador to India
.
Celeste was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives from Cuyahoga County in 1970. His Ohio House District included western Cleveland and Lakewood, where his father Frank, had once served as mayor. He was subsequently elected the 55th Lieutenant Governor
in 1974 (defeating Republican John W. Brown
, serving under the Republican James A. Rhodes
—at the time, Ohio's lieutenant governor was elected separately from the governor, so the victors could be of different parties). In 1978, Celeste ran for governor, but lost to incumbent Rhodes
. President Carter
appointed Celeste Director of the Peace Corps
from 1979 to 1981, where he was responsible for programs in 53 countries.
in the primary, and then the Republican candidate Clarence J. "Bud" Brown Jr., to become governor of Ohio. It was the first time in Ohio history that a person with the surname Brown ever lost an election except for once when both candidates' last name was Brown. In 1986, Celeste was re-elected, defeating the Republican candidate, former governor James Rhodes who had served four prior terms (1962-70 and 1974-82). Thus Celeste served as governor of Ohio from 1983 to 1991. In 1988 he served as the Chairman of the Midwestern Governors Association
.
As governor, Celeste increased support for human services, mental health & addiction recovery services, funding for education and children services including providing onsite daycare for state employees. Before the Celeste era Ohio ranked near the bottom among states in funding for these programs. Celeste and the Democratic-controlled legislature increased the state income tax by approximately 40% while also retaining a temporary tax of 50% instituted by the republican predecessors. Celeste is noted for opening many government positions to African Americans and women—he hired more women to cabinet positions than all previous governors combined. Celeste also allowed state employee unions to negotiate wages and benefits, rather than just working conditions. At the end of his last term he commuted several Ohio prisoners death sentences to life terms. Among them are Debra Brown's along with the sentences of most battered women serving sentences at Marysville state prison for killing their aggressors. He also commuted Donald Lee Maurer to life in prison. Maurer had been convicted of raping and killing his 8 year old Massillon neighbor Dawn Marie Hendershot in the early 1980's.
Under the Celestes, the Governor's art exhibits, chamber music concerts and First Lady's spiritual retreats and theology gatherings as well as Christmas and Hannukah parties for neighborhood kids became regular seasonal events. The Residence Gardens, especially the rose garden, one of the oldest in the nation, were reconstitued and The Friends of the Residence were formed, with Les Wexner as their first president, to help raise private funds to defray the cost of those improvements.
. After he served as the director of the DNC
's healthcare campaign in 1993, President Clinton
appointed him as United States Ambassador to India
, a position he served in from 1997 to 2001.
His brother, Theodore S. Celeste
, successfully ran as a Democratic Party candidate for the Ohio House in 2006.
Celeste was inaugurated as the 12th President of Colorado College
in 2002. Celeste is a member of the advisory board of the Roosevelt Institution
, a student think tank. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
. Celeste, along with Thomas Kean
who co-chaired the 9/11 Commission
, co-chairs the Homeland Security Project for The Century Foundation
. He also sits on the board of the Independent Strategic Assessment Group, United States Northern Command
(NORTHCOM), which is the military command over the USA established in the wake of the attacks of September 11. Celeste joined board of Directors of Glimcher Realty Trust in September 2007.
Celeste had six children (now grown) with his first wife, Dagmar. The couple divorced in 1995. Celeste is currently married to Jacqueline Lundquist. Celeste and Lundquist have one child, Samuel.
Richard Celeste has since retired as President of The Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. He started serving as President in 2002, and will be replaced by, Jill Tiefenthaler, provost and economics professor at Wake Forest University. She will assume the position of President on July 1, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and a member of the Democratic Party. He served as the 64th Governor of Ohio from 1983-1991.
Early life and career
In 1959, Celeste was graduated magna cum laude from Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
(New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
). He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Celeste then received a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to attend Oxford University (Oxford, England). There he met Dagmar Ingrid Braun
Dagmar Braun Celeste
Dagmar Ingrid Braun Celeste , is a counselor, clergywoman, and author. The former first lady of Ohio, she was married to former Ohio governor and U.S. ambassador Richard F...
, whom he married in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in 1962. After returning to the United States, Celeste served as staff liaison office in the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
and as special assistant to Chester Bowles
Chester Bowles
Chester Bliss Bowles was a liberal Democratic American diplomat and politician from Connecticut.-Biography:...
, then United States Ambassador to India
United States Ambassador to India
American Embassy New Delhi was established Nov 1, 1946, with George R. Merrell as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.-Chiefs of Mission to India:-See also:*Embassy of India, Washington, D.C.*India – United States relations*Foreign relations of India...
.
Celeste was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives from Cuyahoga County in 1970. His Ohio House District included western Cleveland and Lakewood, where his father Frank, had once served as mayor. He was subsequently elected the 55th Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
The position of lieutenant governor of Ohio was established in 1852. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment. Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as acting governor if a vacancy in the governorship...
in 1974 (defeating Republican John W. Brown
John William Brown
John William Brown was a Republican politician from Ohio. He briefly served as the 58th Governor of Ohio from January 3, 1957 to January 14, 1957 and served as the 51st and 54th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio....
, serving under the Republican James A. Rhodes
Jim Rhodes
James Allen Rhodes was an American Republican politician from Ohio, and one of only five US state governors to serve four four-year terms in office. As governor in 1970, he decided to send National Guard troops onto the Kent State University campus, resulting in the shooting of students on May 4...
—at the time, Ohio's lieutenant governor was elected separately from the governor, so the victors could be of different parties). In 1978, Celeste ran for governor, but lost to incumbent Rhodes
Jim Rhodes
James Allen Rhodes was an American Republican politician from Ohio, and one of only five US state governors to serve four four-year terms in office. As governor in 1970, he decided to send National Guard troops onto the Kent State University campus, resulting in the shooting of students on May 4...
. President Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
appointed Celeste Director of the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
from 1979 to 1981, where he was responsible for programs in 53 countries.
Governor of Ohio
In 1982, Celeste defeated Attorney general William J. BrownWilliam J. Brown
William J. Brown was an American lawyer, and was elected Ohio Attorney General in 1970 and served until leaving office in January 1983.Brown was from Mahoning County, Ohio. He remained active in Ohio politics through the 1990s. Brown's tenure in office is one of the longest on record for the Ohio...
in the primary, and then the Republican candidate Clarence J. "Bud" Brown Jr., to become governor of Ohio. It was the first time in Ohio history that a person with the surname Brown ever lost an election except for once when both candidates' last name was Brown. In 1986, Celeste was re-elected, defeating the Republican candidate, former governor James Rhodes who had served four prior terms (1962-70 and 1974-82). Thus Celeste served as governor of Ohio from 1983 to 1991. In 1988 he served as the Chairman of the Midwestern Governors Association
Midwestern Governors Association
The Midwestern Governors Association is a 501 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings together the Midwestern governors of states to work cooperatively on public policy issues of significance to the region. The MGA was created in December 1962 in Chicago, when articles of organization were...
.
As governor, Celeste increased support for human services, mental health & addiction recovery services, funding for education and children services including providing onsite daycare for state employees. Before the Celeste era Ohio ranked near the bottom among states in funding for these programs. Celeste and the Democratic-controlled legislature increased the state income tax by approximately 40% while also retaining a temporary tax of 50% instituted by the republican predecessors. Celeste is noted for opening many government positions to African Americans and women—he hired more women to cabinet positions than all previous governors combined. Celeste also allowed state employee unions to negotiate wages and benefits, rather than just working conditions. At the end of his last term he commuted several Ohio prisoners death sentences to life terms. Among them are Debra Brown's along with the sentences of most battered women serving sentences at Marysville state prison for killing their aggressors. He also commuted Donald Lee Maurer to life in prison. Maurer had been convicted of raping and killing his 8 year old Massillon neighbor Dawn Marie Hendershot in the early 1980's.
Under the Celestes, the Governor's art exhibits, chamber music concerts and First Lady's spiritual retreats and theology gatherings as well as Christmas and Hannukah parties for neighborhood kids became regular seasonal events. The Residence Gardens, especially the rose garden, one of the oldest in the nation, were reconstitued and The Friends of the Residence were formed, with Les Wexner as their first president, to help raise private funds to defray the cost of those improvements.
Later career
Celeste then established the consulting firm Celeste & Sabety Ltd. in ColumbusColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. After he served as the director of the DNC
DNC
DNC may refer to:*Daigaku Nyūshi Center, a Japanese Independent Administrative Institution which administers the National Center Test for University Admissions...
's healthcare campaign in 1993, President Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
appointed him as United States Ambassador to India
United States Ambassador to India
American Embassy New Delhi was established Nov 1, 1946, with George R. Merrell as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim.-Chiefs of Mission to India:-See also:*Embassy of India, Washington, D.C.*India – United States relations*Foreign relations of India...
, a position he served in from 1997 to 2001.
His brother, Theodore S. Celeste
Ted Celeste
Theodore S. "Ted" Celeste is an American politician and a member of the Democratic party in Ohio. Celeste, the brother of former Ohio governor and U.S. ambassador Richard F. Celeste, ran for the U.S. Senate in 2000 and lost to the Republican incumbent, U.S. Sen. R. Michael DeWine...
, successfully ran as a Democratic Party candidate for the Ohio House in 2006.
Celeste was inaugurated as the 12th President of Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
in 2002. Celeste is a member of the advisory board of the Roosevelt Institution
Roosevelt Institution
The Roosevelt Institute Campus Network, formerly the Roosevelt Institution, is the first student-run policy organization in the United States...
, a student think tank. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
. Celeste, along with Thomas Kean
Thomas Kean
Thomas Howard Kean is an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 48th Governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. Kean is best known globally, however, for his 2002 appointment as Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, widely known as the...
who co-chaired the 9/11 Commission
9/11 Commission
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up on November 27, 2002, "to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks", including preparedness for and the immediate response to...
, co-chairs the Homeland Security Project for The Century Foundation
The Century Foundation
The Century Foundation is an US progressive think tank. It was founded as a nonprofit public policy research institution on the belief that the prosperity and security of the United States depends on a mix of effective government, open democracy, and free markets. The Foundation is headquartered...
. He also sits on the board of the Independent Strategic Assessment Group, United States Northern Command
United States Northern Command
United States Northern Command is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States military. Created on 1 October 2002 in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks, its mission is to protect the United States homeland and support local, state, and federal authorities...
(NORTHCOM), which is the military command over the USA established in the wake of the attacks of September 11. Celeste joined board of Directors of Glimcher Realty Trust in September 2007.
Celeste had six children (now grown) with his first wife, Dagmar. The couple divorced in 1995. Celeste is currently married to Jacqueline Lundquist. Celeste and Lundquist have one child, Samuel.
Richard Celeste has since retired as President of The Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO. He started serving as President in 2002, and will be replaced by, Jill Tiefenthaler, provost and economics professor at Wake Forest University. She will assume the position of President on July 1, 2011.