Jo Ann Davidson, Ohio’s first woman House speaker and a trusted adviser to many of the state’s Republicans, has died after a political career spanning nearly 60 years.

Jo Ann Davidson, Ohio's first woman House speaker and an advocate for putting effective Republican women in office, died Friday. She was 97.

Jo Ann Davidson, the only woman ever to be speaker of the Ohio House and a mentor to generations of female leaders in Ohio politics, died Friday at the age of 97. Davidson, who lived in suburban Columbus,

Jo Ann Davidson, who climbed her way up through the male dominated world of Ohio politics to become Ohio House speaker, died Friday. She was 97.

Jo Ann Davidson, the first female Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, died on Friday. She was 97. She served in the Ohio House from 1980 to 2001 and was the speaker from 1995 to 2000. “Jo Ann dedicated her life to public service and the people of Ohio,