Governor Mike DeWine apparently takes the expression “swear on a stack of Bibles” quite literally. At midnight on January 14 he was officially sworn in as Governor of Ohio while placing his hand on a stack of nine family Bibles held by his wife Fran DeWine.
According to USA Today, the governor and first lady, who are practicing Catholics, wanted a Bible to represent each of their eight children. The couple’s son, Ohio Supreme Court Justice R. Patrick DeWine, swore in the governor.
During a short ceremony this morning at my home in Cedarville, I took the oath of office to become the 70th Governor of #Ohio. I was honored that my son @PatDeWine administered the oath as I placed my hand atop nine family Bibles held by my wife, First Lady @FranDeWine. pic.twitter.com/WKSTVdOy64
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) January 14, 2019
Each Bible holds a place in the DeWine family history. Here is the list provided by DeWine’s office:
- His late daughter Becky DeWine’s childhood Bible
- His great-grandmother Gertrude Budd’s Bible
- His grandmother Ruth Perkins Liddle’s New Testament, given to her by her father, a minister, on her 18th birthday, 100 years ago
- His grandfather Albert Liddle’s New Testament, issued to him by the United States Navy while he has serving during World War I
- His Aunt Mickey’s (Elizabeth Ann DeWine Harwood’s) Bible, given to her by her grandmother
- A New Testament that the Governor and First Lady acquired many years ago in Jerusalem
- A Study Bible given to the Governor by Lloyd Ogilvie, chaplain of the United States Senate
- His mother Jean DeWine’s Bible
- The Governor and First Lady’s Bible that Fran gave to Mike on their 10th wedding anniversary
And today we celebrate...