Mike DeWine to be first Dayton-area governor since James Cox

Mike DeWine will be the first Miami Valley man to serve as Ohio governor since Democrat James M. Cox held the post in 1913-15 and 1917-21.

Here is a quick look at what they had in common.

1. Farms. Cox and DeWine both started out life on local farms. Cox, the youngest of seven children, was raised on Old Home Farm, his family homestead in Butler County. DeWine grew up in the Yellow Springs area and worked at DeWine Seeds and the Ohio Twine Co., which his grandparents started and his father expanded into an international company.

2. Early starts. Cox and DeWine both got an early jump on their careers. When Cox bought the Dayton Daily News in August 1898, he was just 28. When DeWine won his first elective office in 1976, he was 29.

3. Large families. Cox had five children; DeWine had eight.

4. Journalism. Cox started a newspaper and media empire. DeWine's daughter is a newspaper reporter and DeWine lives in the Whitelaw Reid historic house in Greene County. Reid was an American politician and newspaper editor.

Sources: Dayton Ink., Ohio Politics Almanac

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