See The Ohio Congressmen That Owned Slaves: Washington Post

OHIO — Ohioans sent seven slaveholders to Congress in the 19th century, according to a new database compiled by the Washington Post.

The paper examined thousands of Census documents and historical records to determine how many members of the U.S. Congress have owned slaves. Ultimately, the evidence suggests more than 1,700 elected representatives and senators owned slaves, The Washington Post reported.

At least seven came from the Buckeye State. They participated in heated arguments over both the legality and morality of slavery. Of the Ohioans who owned slaves, William Henry Harrison may be the most familiar to readers.

Harrison was the ninth president of the U.S. Throughout his career, he offered conflicting views of slavery. He traced his roots to Virginia, where his family famously owned slaves. However, he often argued both for and against slavery, depending on his audience’s preferences. As the White House notes, Harrison usually settled on arguing for a state’s right to decide whether slavery to allow slavery.

Here are the Ohio congressmen who owned slaves, according to The Washington Post:

• Rep. Henry Roelif Brinkerhoff — In Congress from 1843-1844
• Rep. David Clendenin —1813-1817
• Sen. William Henry Harrison — 1799-1828
• Rep. John McLean — 1813-1815
• Sen. John Smith — 1803-1808
• Sen. Edward Tiffin — 1807-1809
• Sen. Thomas Worthington — 1803-1814

To see the full database, read the full Washington Post story.