Congressperson dies at 77 – .

Tom Sawyer was a longtime Ohio politician who served as mayor of Akron, and who was also a U.S. Congressperson, Ohio State Senator, and member of the Ohio State Board of Education. 

Tom Sawyer’s legacy 

Born in Akron, Ohio, longtime politician Sawyer began his career as an English teacher in Cleveland. Public life called, however, and in 1976 he ran for, and won, a seat as an Ohio Assemblyperson. He served in the statehouse until 1983, when he switched focus to somewhere closer to home: Akron. 

He won the mayor’s seat and served there until 1986, breaking a streak of 18 years of Republican leadership in the city. He then decided to run at the national level. Sawyer was elected as a U.S. Congressperson and served from 1987 to 2003, eight terms in all. He made national news when he headed the subcommittee overseeing the 1990 U.S. Census. Sawyer spearheaded a study that determined the census undercounted Black Americans by at least 2 million, calling it “gerrymander(ing) on a national scale.” 

After a loss in the 2002 primary campaign, Sawyer switched focus to the Ohio State Senate. He served there from 2007 to 2016, his tenure ending due to state-level term limits. He briefly considered running for Mayor of Akron again, but ultimately took his hat out of the ring. 

Tributes to Tom Sawyer 

Full obituary: Akron Beacon Journal 

View More . Videos



Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *