But in Ohio, and nationally, he is known best for his 19 years of service in the United States Senate. During that time, he authored 29 laws, many of which were controversial. The laws span a variety of people-oriented issues, from the Brady Gun Law to the establishment of one of the first national advisory councils on Alzheimer's disease. It was his law that makes it possible to know what's in the food we eat, known as the Food Labeling Act. Now, six years after leaving the Senate, Sen. Metzenbaum hasn't slowed down one bit. He is a spokesman for the people of America, serving as the non-paid Chairman of the Board of the Consumer Federation of America, an advocacy group that fights for and protects the rights of American consumers.

Sen. Metzenbaum, what drives you, both as a person and as a public official?
A concern for my fellow human beings. I think I've been very lucky, having started off in a very poor family. I grew up around Chesterfield Avenue in Cleveland. I used to carry four bags of Delineator magazines on my shoulders on Saturdays, selling them in combination with pulp paper adventure magazines. I'd earn enough to have spending money during school. My folks went through part of the Depression. My dad lost our home because he couldn't keep up with the mortgage payments. My mother had to go to work at Bailey's, a department store, for $13 a week. It was a tough! In order to attend college, I worked at about a half dozen jobs. I tooted the trombone when I was in college as part of the National Youth Administration program.

I was at the top of the pay scale for NYA students, 50 cents an hour. Some students were only paid 30 or 40 cents an hour.

How old were you when you started working?
I was younger than 10. I pulled a wagon around the stores near East 123rd and Saywell. People would come out of the store, and I'd offer to carry their bags in my wagon. They'd give me a tipóa nickel or a dime. Then, as previously stated, from the ages of 10 to 12 years, I sold magazines. When I went to college I had a host of different jobs. I sold razor blades, pencils by the dozen, breath sweeteners, aspirin in little tins on cards. I traveled a lot selling these things, to smaller cities in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and, of course, Ohio. But it didn't disrupt my classes. I graduated near the top of my class at Ohio State University College of Law.

Once you graduated from law school, where did you work?
I came back to Cleveland and I knocked on the doors of some of the big law firms. In those days the doors were not open to members of my faith (Jewish). They have since changed, I'm happy to say. I wound up exchanging services for space in a law office with a fellow by the name of Sidney Moss, a wonderful man. He and I became very close friends. We came up with the idea of opening income tax stores, before the H&R Block stores had opened. We had stores in Cleveland, Columbus, as well as a number of other cities in Ohio and Pennsylvania. There were called, "Income Tax Audit Service Company." We used to do income tax returns for $1.00. Imagine! My beloved wife, Shirley, worked for us. I think we paid our employees a dollar an hour.

How did you become interested in politics?
We lived on Chesterfield Avenue, and the lady upstairs from us was the Democratic ward leader. She said, "We'd like you to run for Council. We'll endorse you." Little did I know that they wanted me to run against the darling of the area, Victor "Vicky" Cohen. A lot of people told me I shouldn't run against Vicky, that he was such a good guy. Frankly, he was a good guy, and an able public official.

Instead of running for Council, I entered the race for the legislature the next year. The Legislature, at that time, was elected on a "bedsheet ballot"ówhich meant all the candidates that filed were on the same primary ballot. Only 18 got nominated. If you didn't get nominated, you were out. If you were a Democrat, once nominated, you easily won election in November due to straight ticket voting. We don't have that in Ohio anymore. I was elected to the Ohio Legislature at the age of 25, the youngest member of that body. Four years later I ran for the Ohio Senate and was elected. At that time there were only four Democrats in the Senate from the entire state. Two years later, we were in the majority. I became a leader at that time.

In 1950 I left the Ohio Legislature and stayed out of politics, except on the peripheral edges. In 1958, I ran the campaign of a man by the name Stephen M. Young. He was running for the U.S. Senate. In that race we defeated John Bricker, who had been the governor of Ohio, a U.S. senator and Tom Dewey's vice presidential candidate. There was nobody at our victory party because nobody expected us to win. We only spent $45,000 on our campaign. We won because John Bricker right-to-work legislation, an issue that brought out all the working people to vote against it. They did vote against it. They also voted for Steve Young.

When Steve Young decided not to run for reelection, in 1970, I ran for the U.S. Senate. I defeated John Glenn in the primary, and lost to Robert Taft (father of Ohio's current governor) in the general campaign. In early 1974, William Saxbe, the other U.S. senator from Ohio, resigned to become Attorney General during Watergate. I was appointed to the Senate to take his place. John Glenn was back in Ohio campaigning while I was in Washington performing my senatorial duties. This time he defeated me. I ran again in 1976 and this time I defeated Robert Taft.

What were some of issues you tackled as a senator?
I authored 29 bills that became law, including the Brady Bill (gun control), the Multiethnic Placement Act that bars discrimination in the adoption process, and the Food Labeling bill, which we regularly use when we make purchases at the grocery market to check calories, salt, sugar and all the other food values of products we purchase. I also authored a law which protect the rights of unemployed workers when they are on strike. There is one bill I'm particularly proud of. It created the first national park between San Francisco and New York, now known as the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. John Seiberling sponsored the bill in the House. I did the same in the Senate.

How did you become aware of these issues?
People either brought them to me, or I'd read about an issue in the paper, or about it on television. We would decide if the answer was passing a law, or interceding in some other way. In many instances, people would just come to me with a legislative proposal.

You've certainly made an impact.
I believe I did make a difference. Some of my work involved chairing the Antitrust Subcommittee. That deals with competitive issues. A competitive economy is good for this country. Much of the corporate community was against me but, fortunately, the people were with me.

If you had a philosophy of life, what would it be?
Be willing to take on the challenges, whatever they might be, if you feel that they are right, regardless of the possibility of success. Make the effort.

Why did you choose to become Chairman of the Board of the Consumer Federation of America?
When I was about to leave the Senate, the question was, "Would I go into the private sector and become a corporate lobbyist?" Or maybe I would become a professor. How would I spend my time? I didn't want to become a corporate lobbyist. Some of my staff members figured that an ideal job for me would be something like the Consumer Federation of America, a people's advocacy group. They came to me and offered to create the position of chairman. I don't get paid. I come to work every day, except when my beloved wife of 54 years, Shirley, and I are wintering in Florida. CFA fights for or against legislation, whatever is in the best interest of the consumer. Right now we're very strongly fighting bankruptcy legislation. The credit card companies are trying to take away the right to a fresh start from people who get in financial trouble.

I'm on the board of Public Citizen, another consumer advocacy organization. As Chairman of the Friends of the Rabin Medical Center in Israel, I continue my interest in Israel and my concern about the health of its people. As a member of the board of the National Peace Garden, we're trying to develop a park setting to memorialize and put a positive spin on the search for peace. With the American Antitrust Institute, I continue to support effective enforcement of our antitrust laws.

Who were your role models?
Hubert Humphrey, Adlai Stevenson, Harry Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Justice Brandeis, Reverend Martin Luther King, and my good friend, former Senator Paul Simon. Add in my wife, who is the finest human being I've ever met. Those are a few.

How do you spend your free time?
As I stated earlier, my wife and I spend our time in Florida during the winter. When I'm there I play tennis six days a week, I swim 20 to 50 laps every so often. I'm not a great swimmer, but I get there. Our home is in the Cleveland area, but we're not home that much. Unfortunately, my grandchildren aren't nearby. I just love to have them around. I have two grandchildren in the Boston area, five in the San Francisco area and two in the Los Angeles area.

When you were a 25-year-old-legislator, did you ever picture yourself at age 83?
No, I never thought I'd live this long! [LAUGHTER] I never thought about it. I guess at age 25 I thought about being an attorney and eking out a living.

Has anyone in your life affected your attitude towards aging?
Yes! My wife. She has a zest for life which we share. I was lucky to find my Shirley. I've been happily married to her for almost 54 years, and we have a great family.

Do you think about aging?
I don't think of aging as such. I'm living my life to the fullest. I'm just happy that I'm well, that my wife is well and that my children and grandchildren are so great. I try to live every minute of the day and night. The bigger the challenge, the more enthused I am to take it on.