State Representative Peter S. Ujvagi (D-Toledo) of the 47th District is currently in his fourth term in the Ohio House, serving constituents in parts of his adopted home of Lucas County.
Rep. Ujvagi immigrated to the Toledo area from Budapest, Hungary as a child in 1956 and now boasts deep roots in the community. He attended the University of Toledo, where he studied political science and economics.
His successes in business have been supplemented by his service to the public. Rep. Ujvagi is President of E & C Manufacturing Co., Inc., a family-owned precision machining and specialty machinery design and building company. He is also managing partner of EuroStaco, Kft., a Hungarian-American joint venture company that specializes in the sale of equipment and technology for infrastructure development, environmental control and remediation.
Rep. Ujvagi’s history in the public realm, however, spans four decades. It began in 1972 with his work for the National Campaign for Human Development. In 1981, Ujvagi started an intermittent tenure on the Toledo City Council, including a stint as Council President from 1997 to 2002.
His Hungarian heritage has been an important asset in Rep. Ujvagi’s public life. He was a member of the American delegation to the state funeral of Hungarian Prime Minister Jozsef Antal. He is also a founding member and current executive committee member of the Hungarian-American Coalition.
Rep. Ujvagi has also garnered national respect and prominence. President Jimmy Carter appointed Ujvagi to the National Commission on Neighborhoods. He attended the White House Conference on Trade and Investment in Eastern and Central Europe in 1995. Rep. Ujvagi served as Lucas County Democratic Party Chairman from 1989 to 1993, and he was involved in the statewide and national campaigns for the Hungarian-American constituency during the Clinton Presidential campaigns.
At the Statehouse, Rep. Ujvagi serves as Chairman of the Transportation Subcommittee of the Ohio House Finance Committee. He is also a member of the Economic Development Committee, the Environment and Brownfield Development Committee and the Housing Urban Revitalization Committee.
He has also been appointed to the House Select Committee on Tax Reform, the Governor’s Commission on Higher Education and the Economy, and the Ohio Arts Council.
Back in the district, Rep. Ujvagi is active in the Hungarian Club of Greater Toledo, the Birmingham Cultural Center, and he is on the Board of Directors for the Art Commission of Greater Toledo.
Rep. Ujvagi and his wife Betty live in Toledo. They have four children: Krisztina, Andrew, Elizabeth and Suzanne.
