Senator D.A. Liggitt

The Buckeye Boys, David Liggitt, Ewing, Detrick, Richardson, and Baldwin

D.A. Liggitt, 1915-1916 Military Affairs House of Representatives member

The 1915-1916 Military Affairs House of Representatives 81st General Assembly Ohio

D.A. Liggitt Senate campaign button from 1948

Campaign card for D.A. Liggitt when he ran for State Senator in 1948

D.A. Liggitt pictured with two other Senators who were war veterans

In 1947, Senator D.A. Liggitt sponsored a bill to build an ONG armory in Bellefontaine

Interior view of the Bellefontaine Armory built in 1948 by Knowlton Construction

D.A. Liggitt served as the Logan County Representative for the Ohio General Assembly, was elected twice to the Ohio State Senate, and was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio in 1924.

David Alexander, or D.A., Liggitt, was born on September 15th, 1873, to Oliver and Catherine Shields-Liggitt in Belle Center. He graduated from the local high school in 1891. Continuing his education, Liggitt attended Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, and earned a degree in education. He then taught school in Logan County. In 1898, when the Spanish American War was declared, Liggitt joined the 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company F.

After the Spanish American War ended in December 1898, Liggitt and four “Buckeye Boys” from Logan County, who had mustered out of service at Macon, Georgia, decided to make the trek home together. The boys bought a surplus Army wagon and four mules for $200.00 for their trip back to Logan County.

On June 3,1899, they finally made it to Logan County and camped near Zanesfield. Shortly after they finished their early evening meal, the Logan County Sheriff arrived and “arrested” the Buckeye Boys. The Sheriff said he had received a telegram from Georgia stating they had stolen their outfit. The Sheriff and several deputies escorted them to Bellefontaine. When the Buckeye Boys reached E. Columbus Ave in their wagon, they were met by a large crowd of family, friends and neighbors who had gathered to welcome them home. They then realized their arrest was a joke and a way to get them to their planned celebration.

When they reached the Courthouse Square, David Liggitt was called upon to make a speech on the Courthouse steps. He recounted their experiences in a most interesting and entertaining manner. He said, “they had many hardships as well as lots of pleasure.” It took them 112 days to complete their journey. They had a lot of fun and thrills on their trip. One of the highlights was visiting President William McKinley. During their visit with the President, he presented each of the soldiers with an autographed card and gave the group a red carnation and engraving of the White House. After the war, Liggitt continued to teach school in Logan County until he retired in 1923.

There were many changes in Liggitt’s life during the 1900s. On June 24th, 1903, he married Adda Belle McConnell of Belle Center. They had seven children: Margaret, Mary, Martha, Katherine, Oliver, Robert, and Willis. In 1908 and 1912, Liggitt decided to run for Logan County Representative for Ohio General Assembly but lost. Around the time of his father Oliver’s death in 1914 he won the position.

According to his obituary from the Belle Center Herald Voice, he wanted to quit: “During his first term his career almost ended when he came home and told his wife he was going to resign. When she asked him why, he said he would rather quit than vote for a particular bill.” Four years later, he was elected as the Republican Representative in the Ohio Senate for the 13th-31st District, but did not get reelected in 1920, losing to James R. Hopley. In 1922, he won the Republican nomination in the 13^th-31^st District during the 85th General Assembly.

After losing his bid for Lieutenant Governor in 1924, Liggitt decided to change his career for the final time. He became the Representative of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), overseeing thirteen counties in Ohio. However, after ten years with the BMV, Liggitt decided to try politics again. He ran for Ohio State Senate and won against Kenton native, Andrew T. Durover in 1936. He served seven terms before retirement in 1953.

In May 1947, Senator Liggitt sponsored a bill to appropriate $165,000 to construct an armory in Bellefontaine for the Ohio National Guard Company H, 148^th Infantry. The city of Bellefontaine allocated two lots on S. Main St. near the Logan County Fair Grounds. Knowlton Construction Co. of Bellefontaine was the lowest bidder at $128,150 and began construction in October 1948. The new armory was dedicated on March 9, 1950.

D.A. Liggitt was well known in the community and was a member of many organizations. He was elected State Commander in 1941 for the United Spanish War Veterans Frank D. Blain Camp No. 40 group. This was a special honor because Commander Liggitt was the first Veteran from a small community hold this post. He had served as a Junior Vice Commander of the department the previous year. Liggitt helped organize annual reunions of the Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment for many years.

Liggitt was also Past Master for the Belle Center Masonic Lodge, and a member of the Bellefontaine Royal Arch Masons. David A. Liggitt died on January 18th, 1956, at the Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Hospital in Sandusky, Ohio.

Chloe Simmons, History Center AmeriCorps member, contributed to this article.