Incoming lawmakers often use Bibles during their swearing-in ceremonies, but not many employ a tall stack comprising nine copies of the Good Book.
Yet that’s exactly what Ohio’s new governor, Mike DeWine, a 72-year-old Republican, did shortly after midnight Tuesday morning.
During a short ceremony this morning at my home in Cedarville, I took the oath of office to become the 70th Governor of #Ohio. I was honored that my son @PatDeWine administered the oath as I placed my hand atop nine family Bibles held by my wife, First Lady @FranDeWine. pic.twitter.com/WKSTVdOy64
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) January 14, 2019
According to WOIO-TV, each of the nine Bibles has a personal connection to DeWine’s family:
- His late daughter Becky DeWine’s Bible
- His great-grandmother Gertrude Budd’s Bible
- His grandmother Ruth Perkins Liddle’s New Testament given to her by her dad, a minister, 100 years ago, on her 18th birthday
- His grandfather Albert Liddle’s New Testament, which was awarded to him by the Navy while serving in World War I
- His aunt Elizabeth DeWine Hardwood’s Bible, which was given to her by he grandmother
- A New Testament DeWine and his wife, Fran, obtained years ago in Jerusalem
- A study Bible gifted to DeWine by former U.S. Senate chaplain Lloyd Ogilvie
- His mother Jean DeWine’s Bible
- A Bible DeWine’s wife gave him for their 10th wedding anniversary
A spokesperson for the new governor told The Cincinnati Enquirer DeWine and his wife wanted each Bible to represent each of their eight children.
DeWine, who is Catholic, said this week, “Today, we are united as Ohioans. I will be the governor for all the people of the state of Ohio — and I will remember each and every day that I am their servant.”
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Following his inauguration, which DeWine themed “Faith, Family, and Friends,” the Republican governor — the oldest in the state’s history — signed six executive orders, including the creation of the Recovery Ohio Initiative, which will assist in the state’s anti-drug efforts, and the Children’s Initiative, which is dedicated to addressing infant mortality and educational gaps in lower-income demographics.