William Gillespie Pickrel (February 1, 1888 – March 7, 1966) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 40th and 43rd lieutenant governor of Ohio in 1928 and 1931–1933 under Governor Vic Donahey.
Biography William G. Pickrel, nicknamed "Big Bill",Alexander P. Lamis, Mary Anne Sharkey, editors, Ohio Politics, 1994, page 198 was born in Jackson, Ohio on February 1, 1888, the son of D. L. and Martha (née Miller) Pickrel.Charles William Taylor, Bench and Bar of Ohio, 1939 He was educated in Jackson and Dayton, graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1910, received a law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1912, and practiced law in Dayton.
Pickrel was a civic and legal activist, including serving as President of the Dayton and Ohio Bar Associations, a state bar examiner, a director of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce and a trustee of Miami University.Portsmouth Times, Taft Runs for 2nd Term With Pickrel as Foe, November 6, 1944
A member of the Democratic Party, Pickrel ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 1920. In 1928 Cyrus Locher was appointed to the United States Senate. Lieutenant Governor Earl D. Bloom resigned in order to accept appointment to Locher's place as state Secretary of Commerce, and Pickrel was then appointed to the lieutenant governor's office vacated by Bloom. Pickrel completed Bloom's term, serving from April to November, 1928.Toledo News-Bee, Pickrel Named to Bloom's Post, April 7, 1928
In 1930 Pickrel was the successful Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor and served one term, January 1931 to January 1933. He was renominated for lieutenant governor in 1932, but withdrew before the general election.Associated Press, Portsmouth (Ohio) Times, Pickrel Hands in Withdrawal, August 14, 1932 He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1934.Youngstown Vindicator, Pickrel to Campaign Here for Senate Post, May 2, 1944
In 1944 he ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate against Republican incumbent Robert A. Taft; he received 49.7% of the vote to Taft's 50.3%.Pickrel, Schaeffer, and Ebeling law firm, History, Pickrel, Schaeffer, and Ebeling, retrieved November 21, 2013 He died of a heart ailment in a Dayton hospital on March 7, 1966."W. G. Pickrel, Former State Official, Dies", Findlay Republican Courier, Tuesday, March 08, 1966, Findlay, Ohio, United States Of America
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