James "Barney" Quilter, a Democrat who was second in command in the Ohio House of Representatives for 20 years until his retirement in 1994 and a man even political opponents couldn't help but like, died Monday. He was 86.
Mr. Quilter died in St. Charles Mercy Hospital in Oregon following complications from a stroke last week. He had been recovering from a stroke he suffered five months ago when he was stricken again.
Planning to serve only one term as a state representative from Toledo, Mr. Quilter's political career ended up lasting from 1967 to 1994. He ascended to power by aligning himself with the late Vern Riffe, Jr., one of the state's most powerful political figures in recent memory. Along with another Toledo state representative, the late Art Wilkowksi, the three Democrats staged a coup d'etat against then-Ohio House Speaker A.G. Lancione in 1974 that left Mr. Riffe as Speaker and Mr. Quilter as Speaker Pro Tempore.
Mr. Riffe and Mr. Quilter formed a powerful political team that benefited the Toledo area for two decades.
"Barney was one of the few people who could disagree with the speaker and not get put in the dog house," said former Ohio Gov. Richard Celeste, also a Democrat. "There were very few requests he made for budget consideration that didn't get a serious look. But Barney wasn't someone who overstayed his welcome in that regard."
Perhaps Mr. Quilter's most visible accomplishment was the establishment of Maumee Bay State Park along Lake Erie in Oregon and Jerusalem Township, which took more than a decade to achieve. In recognition of his efforts, the park's lodge is named for him.
Other accomplishments included securing state money to help complete projects such as the Medical College of Ohio (now known as the Medical University of Ohio), the widening of Front Street to the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority docks, the University of Toledo's law library, and the transformation of the former Portside Festival Marketplace into COSI, a hands-on science museum.
Mr. Quilter was born in 1919 to James and Helen Marie Quilter and grew up in East Toledo. He was a boxer as a young man, but hopes of turning professional were dashed when he entered the Army to serve in the 167th Combat Engineer Battalion in Europe during World War II.
He dabbled in Democratic party politics, running unsuccessfully for Toledo City Council in 1957 and 1965. While working in public relations at the Toledo Health and Retirees Center formed by the United Auto Workers, he was discovered by Frank King, then-president of the Ohio Senate, who pushed UAW workers to urge Mr. Quilter to run for state representative. Mr. Quilter reluctantly agreed, saying he would serve only one two-year term.
Party officials and voters decided the job suited him, however, and he stayed in the legislature for 28 years during an era that predated today's term limits.
Bernie Quilter, Mr. Quilter's son and the Lucas County clerk of courts, said his father's political success meant he had to share his dad with countless others. Nonetheless, Bernie Quilter said his father always made time for his family, and when his own political career started, his dad offered his years of accumulated wisdom.
"He was a friend more than anything to me," Mr. Quilter said. "I could go down there and talk to him about anything. And when it came to politics he was a good counselor. We'd sit down and have coffee, and he taught me so much about how to get along with everyone on both sides of the aisle."
One of those people on the other side of the aisle was former Ohio Gov. George Voinovich, now a Republican U.S. senator. In a statement issued through his office, Mr. Voinovich said he became "very good friends" with Mr. Quilter when they served in the legislature. He said Mr. Quilter put service to the people of Ohio ahead of party politics.
"In my opinion, Barney Quilter was a role model for what a state legislator should be," Mr. Voinovich said. "He made a difference for his district and for the people of Ohio."
Former State Rep. Patrick Sweeney, a Democrat from Cleveland, was a freshman in the state House with Mr. Quilter during a time when an influx of new legislators had arrived in Columbus.
He recalled the fear many of the new representatives had and how they found a "strong soldier" and a friend in Mr. Quilter.
Although known for several successful projects throughout northwest Ohio, Mr. Sweeney said that Mr. Quilter's legacy can really be found in all the accomplishments that don't carry his name.
"It just got done. You never saw Barney's fingerprints or a news release. It's just the way he was," Mr. Sweeney said. "His influence, is and was, and will be for years, enormous."
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, (D., Toledo) listed Maumee Bay State Park and worker protection in Ohio as among the "cornerstones of the legacy Barney Quilter left."
Former Toledo Mayor Harry Kessler said Mr. Quilter's passing was a "real loss."
Mr. Quilter's tenure in the legislature was not without controversy. In 1988, he helped the late Gene Cook, a longtime Toledo city councilman, get his income as the general manager of the Toledo Mud Hens to count toward his state pension. The result was a $24,000 bump in Mr. Cook's annual pension payout.
Mr. Quilter was married to Mary Carmella Sarno for 52 years until her death in 1996. Mrs. Quilter had Alzheimer's, which motivated her husband to advocate for those stricken by the disease in a moving House floor speech in 1986.
Surviving are son, J. Bernie Quilter; daughter, Mary Ann Flannagan; and six grandchildren.
The body will be at Hoeflinger-Bolander Funeral Home, 3500 Navarre Ave., from 2 to 9 p.m. today and tomorrow. Funeral services will begin at 8:45 a.m. Friday with prayers at the funeral home and continue at 10 a.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at Good Shepherd Church, 550 Clark St. Interment will follow at St. Ignatius Cemetery in Oregon.
The family suggests tributes to Good Shepherd Church, Little Sisters of the Poor Sacred Heart Home, or the Ursuline Convent.
Blade Staff Writers Erica Blake and Homer Brickey contributed to this story.
First Published August 17, 2005, 9:59 a.m.
