(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Mike DeWine was officially sworn in as the Governor of Ohio this morning during a brief midnight ceremony at his farm in Cedarville. Governor DeWine was given the oath of office by his son, Ohio Supreme Court Justice R. Patrick DeWine, while long-time friend Thomas M. Rose, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, presided over the ceremony. Governor DeWine took the oath with his hand atop nine family Bibles, held by First Lady Fran DeWine, during the ceremony:
- His late daughter, Becky DeWine’s, childhood Bible
- His great-grandmother Gertrude Budd’s Bible
- His grandmother Ruth Perkins Liddle’s New Testament, given to her by her father, a minister, on her 18th birthday, 100 years ago
- His grandfather Albert Liddle’s New Testament, issued to him by the United States Navy while he was serving during World War I
- His Aunt Mickey’s (Elizabeth Ann DeWine Harwood’s) Bible, given to her by her grandmother
- A New Testament that the Governor and First Lady acquired many years go in Jerusalem
- A Study Bible given to the Governor by Lloyd Ogilvie, chaplain of the United States Senate
- His mother, Jean DeWine’s, Bible
- The Governor and First Lady’s Bible that Fran gave to Mike on their 10th wedding anniversary