BY HOWARD WILKINSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Jake Held
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Anyone who thinks of politicians as emotionless stick figures in dull gray suits never met John E. "Jake" Held.
For a quarter of a century, from the early 1960s to the late 1980s, Mr. Held -- a talkative, raucous, witty politician who could always be counted on to say what was on his mind -- gathered in the votes from Hamilton County voters: first as a Cincinnati councilman, then as Hamilton County commissioner and, finally, as county recorder.
The 76-year-old Price Hill native died of heart failure Thursday night at the Christ Hospital.
"He was the last kind of his kind; there will be no more like him," said retired First District Court of Appeals Judge Ray Shannon, a close friend for 50 years.
"Jake made politics fun," Judge Shannon said. "There's nobody in politics like that anymore; it's all polls and dead seriousness."
Mr. Held, who grew up in Price Hill and lived in East Walnut Hills, was "the last of the great saloon politicians," Judge Shannon said.
"He could walk into a saloon anywhere in town, with that big cigar and that big voice, cracking jokes, and after a while he'd come out of there knowing more about what people were thinking than all the pollsters in the world," Judge Shannon said.
As a young man, he had a brief stint in which he studied for the priesthood. His failure to become a priest, he often joked, was "the greatest thing that ever happened to the church."
His friends often said that the Republican politician, who could walk into a room and instantly become the center of attention, "would have made a lousy priest, but he'd have been a great archbishop." Mr. Held's sense of humor was legendary in Cincinnati political stories; he carried in his head a seemingly bottomless well of funny stories and was known for a rapier-like wit.
Once, when talking about a fellow Republican politician known for his dour demeanor, Mr. Held said, "I couldn't warm up to that man if we were cremated together."
His friends tell countless stories about his years in politics. His son, Dr. John Held of Mount Lookout, said that to his family, the stories about his father's colorful career are "only part of the picture."
"He was a loving, caring and supportive husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend," Dr. Held said. "He made us laugh, and he made us strong, and he encouraged us to care about what is right."
There was no one, Dr. Held said, "who savored life more than Jake Held."
Mr. Held's 25-year political career was an almost unbroken string of successes. The only election he lost was a 1982 bid for Congress.
From 1962 to 1968, he was a member of the Republican majority on Cincinnati City Council. In 1968, he was elected Hamilton County commissioner, where he served until 1975, when he was appointed county recorder. He was elected to that office three times before retiring in 1988.
Former judge and county commissioner Robert Wood, who succeeded Mr. Held as county recorder, said his friend and colleague "had a zest for life that would not quit."
"You never knew what was next with Jake," Mr. Wood said. "He was totally unpredictable, and one of the funniest people I have ever known."
Mr. Wood said that people who did not know Mr. Held well often got the impression that "all he did was talk and make jokes, but he was incredibly intelligent. A very bright guy."
Sometimes, Mr. Wood said, Mr. Held would lose patience when the work of government became tedious.
"He'd lean over sometimes in the middle of a county commissioners meeting and say, "I've got to go make a phone call,' " Mr. Wood said. "You knew that meant he'd never be back. You'd be sitting there for an hour and a half listening to somebody droning on and on, and Jake would be off on some adventure."
Mr. Held served in the Army in the European Theater during World War II, receiving a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
His wife, Patricia Knapp Held, who was director of family counseling for Hamilton County Domestic Relations Court, died in 1994.
In addition to Dr. John Held, Mr. Held is survived by four other sons, Jamie Held of Houston; Peter Held of Cincinnati; and Paul Held and Andrew Held, both of Montgomery; two daughters, Dee Guilfoyle of Anderson Township and Ann Held of East Walnut Hills; and 16 grandchildren.
Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Monday at St. Xavier Church, 607 Sycamore St. downtown. Memorial gifts may be made to St. John Social Services, P.O. Box 14368, Cincinnati 45250. Geo. H. Rohde & Son Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
