Correction: A previous version of this story misstated Hugh Dorrian’s age at death. He was 90.
Hugh J. Dorrian, the former Columbus city auditor who served the city for more than 50 years, has died. He was 90.
Dorrian served for 12 terms as city auditor after first being appointed to the position in September 1969. He opted not to seek reelection in 2017 and retired. Dorrian died the afternoon of Feb. 6 at an assisted living facility, surrounded by his family, according to his daughter Julia Dorrian.
“My dad loved God, he loved his family and he loved his city,” Julia said. He was the son of hardworking Irish immigrants who loved Columbus and giving back to the community. The Dorrian Green Park, 50 Belle St., Franklinton, was named after him.
“He was really honored when the city named Dorrian Green after him,” Julia said.
Dorrian was well known in Columbus City Hall, commanding the respect of those in city government and beyond for his knowledge and care about the city’s finances. Many people almost exclusively referred to him as “Mr. Dorrian,” said Dan Williamson, former deputy chief of staff for former Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman.
“Nobody ever called him by his first name,” Williamson said.
Williamson said he was working as a reporter when he first met Dorrian before working for the city. While Coleman didn’t always listen to everyone in his administration, he always heeded the word of Dorrian when it came to financial matters, Williamson said.
Dorrian looks back at his career before retirement
Coleman didn’t shy away from this historical tidbit and said that it never ruffled any feathers with other members of his administration.
“If I had his support, that’s all that I needed,” Coleman told The Dispatch. Coleman remembered his relationship with Dorrian as “very close and professional” through good times and bad, including the 2008 financial crisis.
Coleman also said that Dorrian had his hand in everything related to the city’s infrastructure, and much of what Columbus residents see today is because of him. He helped strike the deal to use casino tax revenue to purchase Nationwide Arena, and he was one of the biggest backers in the campaign for a city income tax increase in 2009.
“Everything you see today – every sidewalk, every sign – he had something to do with,” Coleman said. “Not everyone knows his name, but everyone should know what he’s done.”
Megan Kilgore, whom voters elected as city auditor after Dorrian’s retirement and whom he mentored, said that he made excellence an everyday part of the job.
“He believed in integrity without compromise, discipline without exception and service without ego,” Kilgore said. They shared a love of history, and he understood history as a “longer story of stewardship.”
“His life was proof that public service, done well and done humbly, can be a noble calling,” Kilgore said.
Dorrian received numerous awards for his work for the city and for various nonprofits and other organizations.
Dorrian grew up in Franklinton, where his family moved when he was 2 years old. He served a stint in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956 and graduated from Ohio State University in 1959. In 1961, he became a certified public accountant. He ran for city auditor for the first time in 1965 but lost.
City Council members offered him a job as treasurer. He declined several times before accepting. When then-City Auditor John Price died in 1969, Dorrian was appointed to the position.
Dorrian went on to win 12 consecutive elections. He was known for being conservative with city finances, something he attributed to his father, who independently operated a grocery store.
Dorrian helped lead the city through the Great Recession, one of his most difficult times as city auditor, he previously told The Dispatch.
“To be counted among those [Dorrian] taught and shaped – and to be known as his protégé – is the greatest honor of my professional life,” Kilgore said.
Funeral arrangements were being handled through Egan-Ryan Funeral Service.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, @ShahidMeighan on X and shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Hugh Dorrian, who served as Columbus auditor for over 50 years, dies at 90
Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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