Hollister, Nancy, 1949-

Nancy Putnam Hollister (born May 22, 1949) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Ohio. Hollister was the first and, to date, only female Governor of Ohio, serving briefly from December 1998 to January 1999. She attended Kent State University, and upon leaving college she became a housewife. She began her political career in the 1980s. She is a member of the Republican Party.

Nancy Hollister first entered public office when she was elected to the Marietta City Council in 1980. Hollister would serve on city council until being elected Mayor of Marietta in 1984. In 1991, Governor George Voinovich appointed Nancy Hollister as director of the Governor's Office of Appalachia. In this position, Hollister would advise the Governor on how to improve the economy, and life, for twenty-nine counties. She was elected Ohio's 60th Lieutenant Governor in 1994 to replace incumbent lieutenant governor Mike DeWine, who was elected to the U.S. Senate.

On November 3, 1998, as part of that year's midterm election, Governor George Voinovich was elected to the United States Senate, and Bob Taft was elected to the governorship. On the same day, Hollister ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives unsuccessfully. Voinovich resigned as governor on December 31, 1998, making Hollister Ohio's first, and as of 2021 only, female governor. She only served 11 days in office. She was succeeded by Taft, whose term officially began on January 11, 1999. Upon leaving the Governor's office, Hollister was appointed to the Ohio House of Representatives, representing the 93rd district, serving until 2004. Since her defeat, Hollister remains active in many community-service initiatives.