Hobson, David L., 1936-

David Lee Hobson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 17, 1936. Hobson graduated from Withrow High School in Cincinnati in 1954. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University, receiving his B.A. in 1958. As a member of the Ohio Air National Guard, he obtained the rank of Airman First Class, serving from 1958 to 1963, during which time he was on active duty in Europe throughout the Berlin Wall crisis. In 1963, Hobson graduated from the Ohio State College of Law, earning his J.D. and initially pursuing a career as a lawyer, with an emphasis in real estate law. Living in Springfield, Ohio, David Hobson worked as Resident Counsel for the Kissell Company, as well as being an attorney for the Union Central Life Insurance Company and a licensed real estate salesman in Springfield. Hobson married Carolyn Alexander Hobson, and the couple have three children: Susan Marie (1963), Lynn Martha (1965), and Douglas Lee (1968). During the 1970s, Hobson taught evening courses at Wittenberg University and Urbana College.

David Hobson's entrance into the political spectrum occurred in December 1982 when Ohio Republican State Senator Michael DeWine vacated his position after being elected as a congressman to the U.S. House of Representatives. Hobson was selected for the vacant state senate seat, and served in the Ohio Senate from 1982 to 1990. While a senator, Hobson held positions as the President Pro Tempore and the Republican Majority Whip. One of the positions which would bear a lasting mark on his life was his appointment as the Chairman of the Ohio Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee. His tenure in this position led Hobson to become a life-long political supporter of health care reform, as well as better treatment for the elderly and military veterans. One of his greatest successes in the Ohio Senate was securing the passage of the AIDS Bill in the Ohio legislature, for which he strongly fought from 1988 to 1990.

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