Thomas J. Moyer

Thomas Joseph Moyer (April 18, 1939 – April 2, 2010) was an American jurist and the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court from 1987 to 2010. A member of the Republican Party, he died suddenly on April 2, 2010, at age 70. The Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center, headquarters of the Ohio Supreme Court, was named in his honor in 2011. Education and early career Moyer was born in Sandusky, Ohio, he attended Sandusky High School and went on to receive both his undergraduate and law degree from the Ohio State University. He served as chairman of the board of directors of the O.S.U. Alumni Association, as well as the board of trustees of Franklin University. From 1979 to 1987, Moyer served on the Tenth District Court of Appeals for Ohio, which covers Franklin County. Prior to his appointment, he served as the president of the Columbus Board of Education. During his tenure there, the board found itself in the middle of desegregation fights, chronicled in the book Getting Around Brown. He also served for four years as an executive assistant to Governor James A. Rhodes (R-Ohio) and eight years in private practice in Sandusky. Moyer was married and lived in Columbus. He was re-elected in 1992, 1998, and 2004.