Merle G. Kearns

{{Short description|American politician (1938–2014)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Merle G. Kearns

| state_house = Ohio

| state = Ohio

| district = 72nd

| term_start = January 3, 2001

| term_end = August 25, 2005

| preceded = Chris Widener

| succeeded = Ross McGregor

| state_senate2 = Ohio

| state2 = Ohio

| district2 = 10th

| term_start2 = January 3, 1991

| term_end2 = December 31, 2000

| preceded2 = Dave Hobson

| succeeded2 = Steve Austria

| party = Republican

| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|5|19}}

| birth_place = Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

| death_date = August 9, 2014 (aged 76)

| death_place = Columbus, Ohio|

| image = Merle Grace Kearns - 10th District - Ohio Senate 116th General Assembly 1993-1994 - DPLA - f6883d0776f30f81b4c0ebe18e9c9587 (page 12) (cropped).jpg

}}

Merle Grace Kearns (May 19, 1938 – August 9, 2014) was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. She represented the 72nd House District and served as majority leader in the 126th General Assembly.

Prior to her stint in the Ohio House, Kearns was a member of the Ohio Senate from 1991 to 2000, representing the 10th Senate District.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sqRmAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Kearns+Merle+Grace+%22+1938 |title=Who's Who in the Midwest: A Biographical Dictionary of Noteworthy Men and ... |date=June 2004 |isbn=9780837907345 |access-date=2014-08-11}}{{cite web|author=Jim Siegel |url=http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/08/11/former-state-senator-merle-kearns-dies.html |title=Former state legislator Merle Kearns dies | The Columbus Dispatch |publisher=Dispatch.com |access-date=2014-08-11}}

Formative years and family life

Born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania on May 19, 1938, Kearns received her bachelor's degree in home economics from Ohio State University.

Kearns lived in Springfield, Ohio.

Public service career

Early on, during her public service career, Kearns served as a county commissioner in Clark County, Ohio.

Prior to her election to the Ohio House of Representatives, Kearns served in the Ohio Senate from 1991 to 2000, representing the 10th district.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sqRmAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Kearns+Merle+Grace+%22+1938 |title=Who's Who in the Midwest: A Biographical Dictionary of Noteworthy Men and ... |date=June 2004 |isbn=9780837907345 |access-date=2014-08-11}}{{cite web|author=Jim Siegel |url=http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/08/11/former-state-senator-merle-kearns-dies.html |title=Former state legislator Merle Kearns dies | The Columbus Dispatch |publisher=Dispatch.com |access-date=2014-08-11}}

She then represented the 72nd district in the Ohio House of Representatives, where she was elected as majority leader during the 126th General Assembly.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sqRmAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Kearns+Merle+Grace+%22+1938 |title=Who's Who in the Midwest: A Biographical Dictionary of Noteworthy Men and ... |date=June 2004 |isbn=9780837907345 |access-date=2014-08-11}}{{cite web|author=Jim Siegel |url=http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/08/11/former-state-senator-merle-kearns-dies.html |title=Former state legislator Merle Kearns dies | The Columbus Dispatch |publisher=Dispatch.com |access-date=2014-08-11}}

Death

Kearns died in Columbus, Ohio on August 9, 2014.[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sidneydailynews/obituary.aspx?n=merle-kearns&pid=172067234 Merle Kearns-obituary][http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/4161/merle-grace-kearns Votesmart.org.-Merle Grace Kearns]

References

{{Reflist}}