Ben Espy: Trailblazing lawyer and leader in Columbus
Known in public for his standup ethics and championing the underdog, at home, his family says, he was the “ultimate girl dad.”
Ben Espy ’65 was a man of many accomplishments: political trailblazer, community activist, civil rights attorney and Ohio State football player. “But he would always say his greatest accomplishment was his four daughters,” says Lynne Espy-Williams, an attorney in Washington, D.C. “We called him the ultimate girl dad, and he always told us we could achieve whatever we wanted in life; education and hard work were the keys.” Espy’s other daughters are Elizabeth Espy (a community engagement director), Amy Espy-Smith (a doctor) and Laura Espy-Bell ’11 MD (a doctor).
Espy died Jan. 4; he was 81. He was a member of the Columbus City Council (1982–1992) and the Ohio State Senate (1992–2002) and in 1996, he became the first Black legislator to be elected Democratic minority leader of the Senate. Espy was the Democratic candidate for Columbus mayor in 1991, losing to former Buckeye football teammate Greg Lashutka ’67, ’99 HON. He was defeated in the 1999 Democratic mayoral primary by Michael B. Coleman ’10 HON, who went on to become the city’s first Black mayor. Espy founded the Columbus Youth Corps, a summer employment program, and the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration and March.
“I think he leaves a legacy as a trailblazer,” Laura says. “He paved the way for others; he was in the game when the game wasn’t popular.”
Espy grew up in Sandusky, Ohio. At Ohio State, he played running back for Woody Hayes, ran track and was a member of the Air Force ROTC and the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He also met the love of his life on campus, marrying Kathlynne “Kathy” Duffy ’68 the year before she graduated.
Coleman first met Espy in Toledo when he was 11 and visiting the Duffy family, who were neighbors and family friends. Espy arrived to pick up Kathy, and “I opened the door and standing before me was this tall handsome man with an Ohio State varsity jacket,” Coleman says, adding Espy quickly became his role model and mentor.
“Running against him was very difficult for both our families, but the ties were so strong we overcame it,” Coleman says, adding he learned numerous lessons from Espy and often sought his advice. “I learned to always stand by your values and do everything you can to lift up the people behind you and speak up when needed.”
Espy earned a law degree from Howard University, worked as a corporate attorney in Washington, D.C., then entered the U.S. Air Force and served as an assistant staff judge advocate. He returned to Columbus in 1972 to be deputy chief of the Civil Rights Section of the State Attorney General’s Office. He established his own law office in 1977.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 “guided almost everything he did in his life and career,” Laura says. “In his legal work and in politics, he was always committed to civil rights and fighting for the underdog,” Lynne adds.
On June 28, 1984, Espy was walking to a Columbus City Council meeting when the cornice of a building fell on him. He suffered several major injuries, and his right leg was severed. Family members rushed to the hospital, and “when the doctor told us he lost his leg, we were all in shock,” Elizabeth says. “When we saw him, he immediately began reassuring us he was fine. He said, ‘They can amputate my leg, but you can’t amputate my spirit.’ That’s how we always lived as a family. We hunker down and do what’s needed.”
The legacy of the ultimate girl dad lives on in his daughters and 11 grandchildren. Laura is an emergency medicine doctor in Columbus and founder of Made for Medicine, a nonprofit devoted to increasing the number of Black doctors and reducing health disparities. “I took what I learned from my father, the importance of serving your community,” she says. “His motto was ‘if it is to be, it is up to me.’”
Elizabeth says: “One of my first memories is him coming home from work to watch ‘Sesame Street’ with me. He cherished those small moments, that time with his children and then his grandchildren.”
