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Past Presidents

The Cincinnati Bar Association’s very first president was Alphonso Taft, who also served as secretary of war and U.S. attorney general for President Ulysses S. Grant. An impressive line of dedicated lawyers succeeded Taft in his post as leader of the CBA. Given that the CBA is one of the oldest and largest metro bar associations in the nation, more than 110 attorneys have served as bar president since the association’s founding. These leaders are listed below.


  • Alphonso Taft 1872
  • Henry Stanbery 1873-76
  • Isaac C. Collins 1877-78
  • George Hoadly 1879-80
  • Joshua H. Bates 1881-82
  • Aaron F. Perry 1883
  • Rufus King 1884-86
  • E.W. Kittridge 1884-86
  • Patrick Mallon 1890-92
  • Channing Richards 1893
  • Thornton M. Hinkle 1894-95
  • Wm. Worthington 1896-97
  • John R. Sayler 1898-99
  • Frank M. Coppock 1900-01
  • Moses F. Wilson 1902-03
  • Alfred B. Benedict 1904
  • Chas. B. Wilby 1905
  • Albert Bettinger 1906
  • Judson Harmon 1907
  • Chas. H. Stephens 1908
  • Rufus B. Smith 1909-11
  • L.C. Black 1912
  • Alfred M. Allen 1913-14
  • John Galvin 1915-16
  • George Hoadly 1917-18
  • Simeon M. Johnson 1919-20
  • Province M. Pogue 1921-22
  • Frank F. Dinsmore 1923
  • Anthony B. Dunlap 1924
  • Alfred G. Allen 1925
  • John R. Schindel 1926
  • Alfred C. Cassatt 1927
  • Walter A. Ryan 1927-28
  • Edward Colston 1928
  • Carl M. Jacobs Jr. 1928-29
  • George E. Mills 1929-30
  • Murray M. Shoemaker 1930-31
  • Joseph W. O’Hara 1931-32
  • John Weld Peck 1932-33
  • Walter M. Shohl 1933-34
  • Froome Murrls 1934-35
  • A. Julius Freiberg 1935-36
  • Morison R. Waite 1936-37
  • Charles M. Leslie 1937-38
  • Edward P. Moulinier 1938-39
  • Charles E. Weber 1939-40
  • Nelson J. Cohen 1940-41
  • Floyd C. Williams 1941-42
  • Joseph S. Graydon 1942-43
  • Bert H. Long 1943-44
  • Carl E. Basler 1944
  • Merton L. Ferson 1944-45
  • Murray Seasongood 1945-46
  • Walter Schmitt 1946-47
  • Burton E. Robinson 1947-48
  • Herbert Shaffer 1948-49
  • Ed F. Alexander 1949-50
  • George Metzger 1950-51
  • Grauman Marks 1951-52
  • William H. Nieman 1952-53
  • Chester R. Shook 1953-54
  • Robert P. Goldman 1954-55
  • Lawrence R. Lytle 1955-56
  • Milton H. Schmidt 1956-57
  • Robert F. Dreidame 1957-58
  • Joseph C. Dinsmore 1958-59
  • Alton E. Purcell 1959-60
  • Ralph E. Clark Jr. 1960-61
  • Francis L. Dale 1961-62
  • Roscoe L. Barrow 1962-63
  • Robert Houston French 1963-64
  • Otis R. Hess 1964-65
  • Jack B. Josselson 1965-66
  • James L. Elder 1966-67
  • Milton M. Bloom 1967-68
  • Paul W. Steer 1968-69
  • John R. Bullock 1969-70
  • Raymond H. Hensley 1970-71
  • C.R. Beirne 1971-22
  • Robert R. Lavercombe 1972-73
  • Robert M. Dennis 1973
  • R.O. Klausmeyer 1973-75
  • Simon Lazarus Jr. 1975-76
  • Richard H. Ward 1976-77
  • Albert R. Fingerman 1977-78
  • John J. Getgey Jr. 1978-79
  • Powell McHenry 1979-80
  • Bruce I. Petrie 1980-81
  • John S. Wirthlin 1981-82
  • Alan R. Vogeler 1982-83
  • Stephen Cohen 1983-84
  • Robert G. Stachler 1984-85
  • Kenneth F. Seibel 1985-86
  • Bea V. Larsen 1986-87
  • Timothy A. Garry 1987-88
  • John H. Burlew 1988-89
  • John S. Stith 1989-90
  • Harry H. Santen 1990-91
  • Doloris F. Learmonth 1991-92
  • Daniel J. Hoffheimer 1992-93
  • Michael W. Hawkins 1993-94
  • Jack Sherman Jr. 1994-95
  • Terrence M. Donnellon 1995-96
  • Michael H. Neumark 1996-97
  • Stephen T. MacConnell 1997-98
  • Pamela W. Popp 1998-99
  • Frank M. Diedrichs 1999-2000
  • Thomas D. Heekin 2000-01
  • Barbara J. Howard 2001-2002
  • John D. Holschuh Jr. 2002-2003
  • Robert J. Gehring 2003-2004
  • John W. McNally Jr. 2004-2005
  • Beth A. Myers 2005- 2006
  • Patrick F. Fischer 2006-07
  • Jeffrey S. Shoskin 2007-08
  • Philip J. Schworer 2008-09
  • Thomas L. Cuni 2009-10
  • Julia A. Stautberg 2010
  • Thomas L. Cuni 2010-2011
  • W. Breck Weigel 2011-2012
  • Anthony Reiss 2012-2013
  • Jean Geoppinger McCoy 2013-2014
  • John P. Tafaro 2014-2015
  • Eric K. Combs 2015-2016
  • Douglas R. Dennis 2016-2017
  • John J. Williams 2017-2018
  • Kelly Mulloy Myers 2018-2019
  • Joseph D. Heyd 2019-2020
  • Christopher A. Wagner 2020-2021
  • Sara M. Cooperrider 2021-2022
  • Stephen L. Richey 2022-2023
  • Hon Janaya Trotter Bratton 2023-2024