VOINOVICH, GEORGE V. (15 July 1936-12 June 2016), mayor of Cleveland, Ohio governor, and U.S. Senator, was born in Cleveland, OH to George S. and  Josephine Bernot Voinovich. Of Croation-Serb and Slovenian decent, Voinovich?s parents settled in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland. After graduating from Collinwood High School in 1954, Voinovich earned his B.A. in government from Ohio University in 1958 and received his law degree from Ohio State University in 1961. 

A career politician, Voinovich was inaugurated into Ohio politics as Assistant Attorney General in 1963.  From 1971 to 1976 he served as County Auditor of Cuyahoga County and from 1977 to 1978 served as a member of the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners. He was elected Lieutenant Governor on the James A. Rhodes Republican ticket in 1978.

As Mayor of Cleveland, Voinovich continued to garner accolades. He won a tough mayoral race against incumbent Dennis Kucinich in 1979 and stepped down from his lieutenant governor position. During the MAYORAL ADMINISTRATION OF GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, he began with the city in default on $110 million of its financial obligations. Voinovich balanced the city budget, allowing the city to escape from default and reorganized the city's administration.

After his completing his second term as mayor, Voinovich returned to statewide politics. Voinovich ran for the U.S. Senate in 1988 but lost to longtime incumbent Howard Metzenbaum.  However, he was elected Ohio governor in 1990 for two terms. During his tenure as mayor and governor, Voinovich was a key figure in bringing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, Museum to Cleveland.  He was also credited as a key leadership figure in the creation of the student school voucher program, which allowed public funds to be used for church-affiliated schools. In 1998, Voinovich was elected to the U.S. senate, where he served until his retirement from politics in 2010.

Throughout his 44 years in public service, Voinovich gained a reputation for his bi-partisan leadership. The oldest of six children, Voinovich was a devout Catholic and life-long member of Our Lady of the Lake in Collinwood.  Voinovich married his wife Janet Allan in 1962 and together they had four children named George, Betsy, Peter and Molly (who was killed in a traffic accident in at age 9).  Voinovich died in 2016 and was buried in All Souls Cemetery in Chardon, OH.