Representative Thomas Andrew Luken

Thomas Andrew Luken (July 9, 1925 – January 10, 2018) was an American politician of the Democratic Party from Ohio who served as a Representative in the United States Congress from 1973 to 1991. Over the course of eight terms in the House of Representatives during the 1970s and 1980s, he contributed to the legislative process and represented the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history. Known throughout his career as Tom Luken, he became one of the most prominent Democratic figures in Cincinnati politics in the latter half of the twentieth century.

Luken was born on July 9, 1925, and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received his high school diploma in 1942 from Purcell High School, a Catholic institution in Cincinnati. Coming of age during the Second World War, he entered military service soon after completing his secondary education. During World War II, Luken served in the United States Marine Corps, an experience that shaped his early adulthood and preceded his entry into higher education and public life.

After the war, Luken pursued his education under the provisions available to returning veterans. He attended Bowling Green State University for part of his undergraduate studies and then enrolled at Xavier University in Cincinnati. In 1947, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Xavier University. He continued his studies in law, enrolling at the Salmon P. Chase College of Law, which later became part of Northern Kentucky University. In 1950, he received his law degree from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law and was admitted to the bar, beginning the practice of law in the Cincinnati area.

Luken’s early career combined legal practice with steadily increasing involvement in public service. From 1955 to 1961, he served as solicitor for the city of Deer Park, Ohio, providing legal counsel to the municipal government. His work there led to a federal appointment: in 1961 he became United States District Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, a post he held until 1964. Returning to local politics, he was elected to the Cincinnati City Council, serving from 1964 to 1967 and again from 1969 to 1974. During this period he also held the city’s highest municipal office, serving as mayor of Cincinnati from 1971 to 1972. His brother, Jim Luken, was likewise active in public life as a labor leader and also served as mayor of Cincinnati, underscoring the family’s deep involvement in the city’s civic affairs.

Luken’s congressional career began in the mid-1970s. In 1974, he won a special election in Ohio’s Cincinnati-based 1st congressional district to fill out the term of Representative William J. Keating, a Republican who had resigned his seat. Although he completed Keating’s term, he was defeated later that year in his bid for a full term by Republican Bill Gradison, who, like Luken, had previously served as mayor of Cincinnati. Undeterred, Luken sought election again in 1976, this time in the neighboring 2nd congressional district. In that race he unseated the Republican incumbent, Donald D. Clancy, and began service in the 95th Congress in January 1977. He was subsequently reelected six times, all by large margins, serving continuously through the 1970s and 1980s. Over these eight terms in office, he participated actively in the democratic process, contributing to legislation and policy debates while representing a region that had historically leaned Republican. He became only the second Democrat in the twentieth century to represent a significant portion of Cincinnati for more than one term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Following the 1980 census and the resulting redistricting, Luken’s political fortunes intersected once again with those of Bill Gradison. In 1983, Luken and Gradison effectively swapped districts when the lines were redrawn, with Luken’s constituency being renumbered as the 1st District. Luken continued to serve in Congress from this reconfigured district through the remainder of the decade. His tenure in the House extended from his initial service beginning in 1973 through his final term ending in January 1991, encompassing a period marked by major national developments in domestic policy, foreign affairs, and economic change.

Luken chose not to run for an eighth full term in 1990, opting instead to retire from Congress. He supported the candidacy of his son, Charlie Luken, who at that time was serving as mayor of Cincinnati. Charlie Luken successfully won election to his father’s former seat, continuing the family’s representation of the Cincinnati area in the U.S. House of Representatives. After leaving Congress, Thomas Luken remained a respected figure in Ohio political circles, and his papers were later preserved in the Archives and Rare Books Library at the University of Cincinnati, where they serve as a resource for the study of regional and national politics.

Thomas Andrew Luken died on January 10, 2018. His long career in public service—from Marine Corps veteran and local solicitor to U.S. attorney, city council member, mayor, and eight-term member of Congress—left a lasting imprint on Cincinnati and on the political history of Ohio.