#3: David S. Broderick, 1820-1823

David S. Broderick was appointed State Librarian on December 6, 1819 and began his position in 1820. Like his predecessors, Broderick earned two dollars a day during the Legislative session. He was the first State Librarian to die in office. Columbus and much of the nation suffered through a yellow fever epidemic in 1823, and Broderick was one of the many that perished. After his death, it was discovered that some books and pamphlets were missing from the library. An Ohio House committee concluded that extra keys to the library were made and left in the entry door during the legislative recess. As a result, the library remained open when the Legislature was on recess and the State Librarian’s salary was adjusted accordingly. Broderick’s place in history is associated with the founding of Columbus City government and one of the earliest taverns in Ohio. In 1815, he built and opened the Columbus Inn on the southeast corner of High and Town Streets. In 1816, the Ohio General Assembly passed the Act to incorporate the town of Columbus in the county of Franklin, which designated the Columbus Inn as the first meeting place of qualified electors of Columbus to elect a city council.