Matt Huffman Biography
State Representative Matt Huffman proudly serves the 78th Ohio House District and resides in Lima. At the beginning of the 136th General Assembly, he was unanimously elected Speaker of the Ohio House after previously serving as Senate President in the 135 the General Assembly. He is the first elected official in modern history to preside over both the Ohio Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives on the same day.
Born and raised in Lima, Ohio, Speaker Huffman has practiced law for the past 40 years in his family’s private practice law firm in downtown Lima. He has been admitted to practice in all of the state and federal courts in Ohio and is an “AV” rated attorney by the Martindale-Hubbell rating service, the highest rating an attorney can receive. He has represented dozens of small businesses in West Central Ohio.
Speaker Huffman began his public service on Lima City Council in 1992, serving until 2006, including the final seven years as City Council President. In 2007, he began his service in the Ohio House of Representatives. During his time in the Ohio Legislature, Speaker Huffman has championed bills to reform the medical delivery system, protect life at all stages and give parents control over their student’s education. He has always maintained a strong commitment to the preservation of gun rights.
Speaker Huffman has been a tireless advocate of removing unnecessary government regulations and fees and lowering taxes for all Ohioans; he defeated an income tax increase while on Lima City Council and supported the reduction of state income taxes on individuals and small business owners, and the elimination of the Ohio estate tax. While in the Ohio House previously, he was named a “Guardian of Small Business” and earned three “Watchdog of the Treasury” awards.
Speaker Huffman is deeply concerned about our nation’s debt and was a primary sponsor of resolutions in both the Ohio House and Senate to call for a convention of the states, as authorized by Article V of the U.S. Constitution, to propose a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. He believes the states must take back the power they have relinquished to the federal government in order for our nation’s debt crisis to be solved.
Speaker Huffman is the fifth of nine children born to Lawrence and Shirley Huffman. He graduated from Lima Central Catholic High School in 1978. He then went on to earn his degree in Government from the University of Notre Dame in 1982 and his law degree from the University of Cincinnati School of Law in 1985. Married for over 40 years, Senator Huffman and his wife Sheryl (nee Simoneau) have made their home in Lima, where they have raised four children: Clare, Matthew, Ellen and Sam. Their 11th grandchild was born in January 2025. In addition to being members of St. Charles Church, he and Sheryl belong to several community organizations including Heartbeat of Lima and the Knights of Columbus.