Before 1852, the president of the Ohio State Senate would serve as acting governor if a vacancy in the governorship occurred.

From 1852 to 1979, the lieutenant governor also served as the president of the Ohio State Senate.

An example of this is Bruce Edward Johnson, who served as Director of the Ohio Department of Development, as did his successor, Lee Fisher.

Governor Mary Taylor was the director of the Ohio Department of Insurance, until she was replaced by Jillian Froment in 2017.

Democratic Republican Italics indicate next-in-line of succession for states and territories without a directly elected lieutenant governor or whose lieutenant governor office is vacant: