About City Attorney Pfeiffer

Richard C. Pfeiffer, Jr. was appointed Columbus City Attorney by Columbus City Council in January 2003. In November 2003 he was elected to finish the unexpired term. Subsequently, he has been re-elected three times (in 2005, 2009, and 2013), with his present term ending December 31, 2017. Having served more than 12 years, he is currently the second longest serving City Attorney in Columbus history.

Born on April 12, 1944 at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, Pfeiffer was raised in Columbus, Ohio where he attended Columbus Public Schools through the ninth grade, before attending and graduating in 1962 from the University High School, a school which was associated with the Ohio State University.

Between his 1966 graduation from Oberlin College with a degree in Government, and his 1972 graduation from the Ohio State University College of Law (cum laude, Articles Editor of the Law Journal and Senior Advisor on the Moot Court Governing Board), Pfeiffer enlisted in the United States Army. He did his basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, and both his advanced individual training and his six-month Officer Candidate School at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery, Pfeiffer was assigned to Ft. Bliss, Texas, from which he volunteered for service in Vietnam. Immediately upon leaving Vietnam in 1969 as a First Lieutenant, Pfeiffer returned to law school at Ohio State where in 1966 he completed one quarter before leaving for military service.While serving in the United States Army Pfeiffer was awarded the Army Commendation Medal and two Bronze Stars.

Pfeiffer began his career as an attorney with the law firm of Paul F. Beery Co. LPA, a practice specializing in motor carrier law. In 1973, Pfeiffer was appointed Majority Counsel in the Ohio House of Representatives, where he worked until March 1980 before resigning as Executive Assistant and Counsel to Speaker Vern Riffe, to run for Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney. Following his defeat in that election, he worked as a solo practitioner before becoming, in 1983, a partner in the law firm of Bricker and Eckler.

In 1982, Pfeiffer was elected to the Ohio Senate where he served for nine years until he was elected in 1991 as the first judge of the Environmental Division of the Franklin County Municipal Court, a position he held for eleven years before becoming Columbus City Attorney.

Pfeiffer lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, the former Janet Preskenis. They have three children: Sacha (1971), Sonya (1973) and Seth (1976). Pfeiffer grew up in the First Congregational Church, and is a member of that church. His wife is a member of the Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church. Pfeiffer is a member on the Boards of the Ohio State Legal Services Association, and the Brass Band of Columbus.