Frank John Lausche (/ˈlaʊʃi/;[1] November 14, 1895 – April 21, 1990) was an American Democratic politician from Ohio.

[3] He played baseball locally when not working, and was recruited as a third baseman to the amateur White Motor team, which won a national championship.

[4] He started the season batting .422, but developed trouble hitting curve balls, and was released after 31 games.

He enlisted in the United States Army that summer, and reported to Camp Gordon, near Atlanta, Georgia.

He was ranked second in his class at John Marshall School of Law and quickly became known as one of Cleveland's better trial lawyers.

Lausche resigned in early 1957, having won election to the United States Senate in November 1956, unseating incumbent Republican George Bender.

Throughout his career, Lausche displayed a bipartisan and independent approach to politics, being known by some as a "Democrat with a small 'd'", but his approach to ethnic Democratic politics paved the way for followers such as Ralph S. Locher, who became Mayor of Cleveland and later an associate justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, and Bronis Klementowicz, a leader of Cleveland City Council and law director under Locher.

He was easily re-elected to the Senate in 1962, but was defeated in his bid for renomination in 1968, due to his loss of labor union support.

[11] Jane Lausche died November 24, 1981, and, having converted to the Roman Catholic faith, was buried at Calvary Cemetery in southeast Cleveland.

[13] Lausche's funeral was at St. Vitus Church, with Bishop Anthony Edward Pevec delivering the homily.