John Kenneth Blackwell (born February 28, 1948) is an American politician, author, and conservative activist who served as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio (1979–1980), the Ohio state treasurer (1994–1999), and Ohio secretary of state (1999–2007). He was the Republican candidate for governor of Ohio in 2006, the first African American major-party candidate for governor of Ohio. He is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council. He is vice president of the executive committee of the Council For National Policy and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Early life and education Blackwell was born in Alliance, Ohio, the son of Dana, a part-time nurse, and George Blackwell, a meat packer. He has two brothers, Carl and Charles. He married his wife, Rosa, in 1969 while he was in college. They have three children. Blackwell is the nephew of Olympic long-jumper DeHart Hubbard, who was...