Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Niehaus official portrait unveiled at Statehouse

Provided

Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus, the New Richmond Republican who is in his waning days as Ohio Senate president, was honored Tuesday night with the unveiling of an official portrait in the Senate Chamber where he has served the past eight years.

The Clermont County Republican's portrait was done by artist Leslie Adams, who has painted the state's official portraits of Bill Harris, Niehaus' predecessor as Senate president; and former governors Bob Taft and Ted Strickland.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich was among those attending the official unveiling.

Niehaus could not run for re-election this year because of Ohio's term limits law. His tenure as Senate president ends Jan. 7. The New Richmond Republican has served in the Ohio General Assembly since 2001, after he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. He was elected to the Ohio Senate in 2004; and has been the Senate president since Jan. 2009.

The official portrait will hang in the Senate Chamber for the remainder of the 129th session of the Ohio General Assembly. Then it will be permanently installed in the Ohio Senate office building.

Howard Wilkinson is in his 50th year of covering politics on the local, state and national levels.