McCulloch, William M.

William "Bill" Moore McCulloch was born on November 24, 1901 near Holmesville in Holmes County, Ohio to James H. and Ida M. McCulloch. Raised on his family's farm, McCulloch attended the local public schools, and then graduated from the College of Wooster in nearby Wooster, Ohio. In June 1925, he received a law degree from The Ohio State University College of Law and passed his bar examination in August. After obtaining his license to practice law, McCulloch moved to Jacksonville, Florida, but returned to Piqua, Ohio in 1928 and established a law firm with George Berry. On November 8, 1927, McCulloch married Mabel Harris in Covington, Kentucky. The couple had two daughters, Nancy Jane McCulloch and Ann McCulloch Carver.

In 1932, William McCulloch entered the political arena as a member of the Republican Party when he won the first of six subsequent elections to the Ohio House of Representatives. He served as Minority Leader from 1936 through 1938. In 1939, he was elected Speaker of the Ohio House. McCulloch served three terms as Speaker, during which time he was instrumental in passing balanced budgets for Ohio at a time when the state still struggled with the effects of the Great Depression.

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