DeWine graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School in 1994 and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. DeWine served as a member of the Hamilton County Commission and Cincinnati City Council. He was first elected to City Council in 1999, finishing sixth with 27,745 votes in a field of 20. He was re-elected in 2001 and in 2003. He resigned from City Council in order to take his seat on the Hamilton County Commission. Chris Monzel, a Republican who had lost his council seat in the last election, was appointed to fill out DeWine's term on City Council. DeWine was a candidate in the June 14, 2005 Republican primary for the Ohio's 2nd congressional district special election to the U.S. House of Representatives seat vacated by Rob Portman, who resigned to become U.S. Trade Representative. He placed fourth behind Jean Schmidt, Bob McEwen, and Tom Brinkman. His campaign for Congress was dogged with personal issues of infidelity.
State judicial career
DeWine sought and won election to the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas in 2008, defeating Norma Holt Davis in the General Election. He subsequently won a seat on the 1st District Ohio District Courts of Appeals in 2012, defeating Bruce Whitman in the November 6, 2012 election. DeWine served as a judge on the Ohio 1st District Court of Appeals. DeWine took his seat on the Appellate bench in January 2013 after defeating Bruce Whitman in the November 2012 general election. He won an uncontested Republican Party primary election in March 2016 for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court commencing January 2, 2017. In November 2016 he won election to that seat over his Democratic opponent. Prior to his election as Associate Justice, he served as a Judge on the Ohio 1st District Court of Appeals and the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas and was an associate for 13 years with the firm of Keating Muething & Klekamp.
Personal life
DeWine's first marriage ended in divorce in 2003. He and his ex-wife have three sons. He was married to his second-wife Rhonda DeWine in 2010 until 2019 when she filed for divorce.
