Thomas Charles Sawyer (August 15, 1945 – May 20, 2023) was an American politician of the Democratic Party. During a career that spanned five decades, he represented his hometown of Akron, Ohio, across multiple levels of government.^[2] He was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1977 to 1983, the Mayor of Akron from 1984 to 1986, a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2003, and a member of the Ohio Senate from 2007 to 2016.^[2][3]

Sawyer was born in Akron, Ohio.^[4] After graduating from Buchtel High School in Akron,^[4] Sawyer received a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Akron in 1968.^[4] He also joined the Alpha Phi chapter of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. Later, Sawyer earned a master of arts degree from Akron in 1970.^[4] He worked as an English teacher in Cleveland before seeking political office, winning a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives in 1977.^[5][6]

In November 1983, Sawyer defeated the incumbent Republican Mayor of Akron, Roy Ray, in a close election.^[5] Sawyer was the first Democrat to be elected Mayor of Akron in over 18 years.^[5] No Republican has held the mayor's seat in Akron since Sawyer upset Ray in 1983.^[7]

On December 20, 1984, during Sawyer's first year as mayor, an explosion at the Akron Recycle Energy System plant caused the deaths of three people.^[8] Sawyer helped manage the aftermath of the tragedy and assisted in the investigation.^[8] Speaking to the New York Times, Sawyer noted that S&W Waste, of Kearny, New Hersey, had sent the Akron plant waste materials containing highly flammable chemicals on the day of the explosions.^[8]

Sawyer successfully ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress in the 1986 midterm elections and took office on January 3, 1987.^[9] He would then serve eight terms in Congress.^[9]

Congressman Sawyer gained notoriety as Chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing the 1990 U.S. census.^[10] He made national news with his study of the 1990 census and subsequent determination that it had failed to count at least two million black Americans.^[11] Sawyer and others attempted to readjust the census figures to include a more accurate count of black Americans and the U.S. population as a whole, but their efforts were opposed.^[11][12] When the Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher refused to adjust the census totals, Congressman Sawyer called the decision a "gerrymander on a national scale."^[12] The national undercount in 1990 was eventually estimated to exclude around 1.6% of the population.^[6]

When Akron-based State Senator Kim Zurz was appointed to run the Ohio Department of Commerce in Spring of 2007, Sawyer was selected by legislative leaders to fill the vacancy.^[25]

As a member of the Ohio Senate Controlling Board, Sawyer voted to adopt Medicaid expansion in Ohio.^[26][27] Ohio's Medicaid expansion covered thousands of Ohioans who previously did not have insurance.^[28] The state share costs were offset by small insurance and sales taxes.^[28]

During the 130th and 131st General Assemblies, Sawyer jointly sponsored resolutions with Republican Senator Frank LaRose to reform the drawing of legislative district lines in Ohio.^[29][30][31] The House and Senate eventually passed a version of the senators' proposal and sent it to the Ohio voters as State Issue 1 in November 2015.^[32] The resolution passed with 71% of the vote.^[33] This law, once implemented, will end the practice of gerrymandering (partisan drawing of legislative district lines) for Ohio legislative districts.^[32] Senators Sawyer and LaRose at one time were working on a measure that would end gerrymandering at the Congressional level in Ohio as well.^[33][34][35]

During the 131st General Assembly, Senator Sawyer helped the legislature adopt House Bill 2, which was a version of Sawyer's Senate Bill 148,^[36] to reform Ohio's charter school oversight laws.^{[37][38][39][40]}

In the November 2008 general election, Sawyer held his Senate seat by defeating Republican James Carr.^[41]

In 2012, Sawyer was elected to a second full term, defeating Republican Robert Roush 71.5% to 28.5%.^[42] He served as Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee from 2012-14.

In 2015, he considered running again for Akron mayor after the abrupt resignation of longtime incumbent mayor Don Plusquellic. Sawyer eventually decided against the run.^[43]

Sawyer's tenure in the Ohio Senate concluded at the end of 2016. The state's term limit rules barred Sawyer from seeking the seat for a third consecutive term.^[44] He was replaced by Democrat Vernon Sykes.

Sawyer lived in Akron. He and his wife, the former Joyce Handler, had a daughter.^[46] He died from complications of Parkinson's disease at a care facility in Akron on May 20, 2023, at the age of 77.^[6][47]

This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2023)

*Italics indicate incumbent

• List of United States representatives from Ohio