John William Brown (R) of Medina was the 51st Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (1953-1957), under Governor Frank Lausche. As Lieutenant Governor, Brown presided over the Senate. (The office of Senate President became separate from the office of Lieutenant Governor in 1978.) When Gov. Lausche resigned on January 3 to take a seat in the U.S. Senate, Brown served as Governor of Ohio until January 14.

Brown was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1959 to 1961. He then served in the Ohio Senate from 1961 to 1963, when he became the 54th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio under Governor Jim Rhodes. He held the office until 1975, and is Ohio's longest-serving Lieutenant Governor.