Many of you already know that Chillicothe was founded in 1834. It became official in 1861, when it was incorporated as a Village. The first election was held on April 15, 1873, and the first city of Chillicothe council meeting took place on May 1, 1873.

But… Did you know… It wasn’t until April 17th, 1951, that Chillicothe welcomed its first female elected to the City Council. Leone Ringenberg gained the honor of winning the seat at the table, by defeating challenger Charles Semtner by a vote of 83 to 81. By doing so, she secured a four-year term. After the election, Leone was asked why she ran for office. She declared that “I feel I can’t really be interested in children or family life without being interested in civic affairs. If we could get more women who are interested in a better world in politics, maybe we could make a better world.”

“It’s not that a woman can’t do a good job in politics,” she explained. “It’s really a lack of courage on their part. The job isn’t too hard. Any woman who has taken an active part in Club Work, could take a political job and serve in a competent manner.”

Leone served one term on the City Council from 1951 to 1955. She and her husband Chris, lived at 219 Hickory Street, and owned and operated a neighborhood store for several years. We thank you Leone, for being a trendsetter and helping pave the way for many others.