MEDINA, Ohio — William Batchelder, the former Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, died Saturday at the age of 79, The Batchelder Company announced.
Batchelder served as the Ohio representative from Medina County from 1968 until 1999, and later returned to the House in 2007.
From 2011 to 2014, Batchelder served as the 101st Speaker of the House.
Over his career, Batchelder practiced law and served as a judge in the Medina County Common Pleas Court and on the Ninth District Court of Appeals.
Following the announcement, Gov. Mike DeWine issued the following statement regarding Batchelder's death:
Fran and I were saddened upon hearing of the death of former Speaker of the Ohio House Bill Batchelder. A son of Medina County, and a pillar of the Ohio House of Representatives, Ohioans are grateful for his decades of service. Bill was a consummate legislator who helped me as we passed a drunk driving bill in 1982 for which I will always be grateful. I have sought his advice many times over the years. He was a Ronald Reagan Republican – a classic conservative whose guiding principle was freedom. We send our deepest condolences to Alice, William, and Elizabeth.
Others also issued statements regarding Batchelder's death, including State Rep. Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth):
It is with a heavy heart we acknowledge the passing of Medina County’s favorite son, former Ohio House Speaker Bill Batchelder.
Speaker Batchelder will be remembered not only for his decades of dedicated service to Medina County and the State of Ohio, but his mentorship to so many of us locally and around the state. His statesmanship and bipartisan leadership have been an inspiration to us all.
Bill was never happier than when sharing with us stories about his dearest friend and love of his life, Judge Alice Batchelder, and his children William and Elizabeth and his dear grandchildren.
His was a life well-lived and we will all miss him.
The Batchelder Company said that details regarding memorial arraignments will be announced at a later date and that this time the family asks for respect of their privacy.
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