ED JACKSON, the son of a millworker, was born and educated in Howard County, Indiana. He studied law and opened his practice in Kennard. In 1898 Jackson entered politics in New Castle and served as Henry County prosecuting attorney; four years later he was appointed circuit court judge. His term as secretary of state was interrupted by his army enlistment in World War I; after his discharge he returned to his political career at the State House.

In 1924 Jackson, a Republican, was elected governor. His administration was plagued with repercussions from political scandals involving D. C. Stephenson and the Ku Klux Klan, and during his term as governor Jackson himself was tried on charges of bribing Governor McCray but was acquitted under the statute of limitations.
Following his term Jackson resumed his law practice, working in Indianapolis until 1937, and then moved to Orleans in southern Indiana to raise cattle and run an apple orchard.

Jackson suffered a paralyzing stroke in 1948 and was bedfast until his death.

HARRY LESLIE was born of pioneer parents in West Lafayette. While a student at Purdue University Leslie played football, miraculously surviving the tragic 1903 train wreck that killed sixteen of his fellow team members in Indianapolis. After many operations to repair extensive injuries, he graduated from Purdue and received his law degree from Indiana University. Leslie opened his law office in Lafayette, became involved in Tippecanoe County politics, and was elected county treasurer in 1912 and 1914. He engaged in farming from 1914 to 1924, serving also as a bank president.

Leslie, a Republican, was a representative in the Indiana house for four years and its speaker in 1925 and 1927 before his election as governor in 1928. A blunt, simple man, Leslie had an unusual talent for friendships and as governor was known for his straightforward style of administration. His term as governor coincided with the beginning of the Great Depression, and among his efforts to ameliorate its effects a special legislative session was called in 1932 to reduce taxes and expenses of government.

Following his governorship Leslie became a founder, and eventually the president, of a life insurance company in Indianapolis. Down-to-earth and witty, Leslie boasted storytellers like George Ade and Will Rogers as good friends.

PAUL MCNUTT was born in Franklin, Indiana, and was educated in the Martinsville public schools. After graduation from Indiana University in 1913 and Harvard University Law School in 1916, McNutt practiced law briefly with his father in Martinsville. He served as an officer in the army in World War I and returned in 1919 to teach at Indiana University Law School. He was appointed dean in 1925 and held the office until he was inaugurated as Indiana's governor in 1933, the first Democrat to hold that office since Samuel Ralston.
McNutt's political career was based initially upon his American Legion career: he was Indiana commander in 1927 and national commander in 1928-1929. Elected governor in 1932, McNutt took office two months before Franklin Roosevelt was sworn in as President, and the Indiana governor's program of emergency legislation anticipated the New Deal in many particulars.

McNutt was a bold, strong leader (described as a "Hoosier Hitler" by his critics) and a highly effective governor. Centralizing the governor's administrative control, McNutt reorganized 169 state departments into eight main departments (the measure was repealed in 1941), and he instituted the "2 percent club" among state patronage workers for the support of the Democratic state party.

McNutt served from 1937 to 1939 as High Commissioner to the Philippines, from 1939 to 1945 as administrator of the Federal Security Administration, from 1942 to 1945 as chairman of the War Manpower Commission, and from 1946 to 1947 as first United States ambassador to the Philippine Republic. McNutt then retired from public service to practice law in New York, Washington, D. C., and Manila. He also served as officer for several life insurance companies and in 1950 became chairman of the board of United Artist Corporation. The strikingly handsome McNutt was a capable administrator and a canny politician. He was also, however, obviously ambitious for the presidency during the Roosevelt era and therefore destined to be disappointed.

CLIFFORD TOWNSEND was born on a farm and attended school in Blackford County, Indiana. After working as a teamster and in a factory, he graduated from Marion College, Grant County, taught in the common schools, and then served for fourteen years as school superintendent for different counties. He entered politics as a representative in the Indiana house and elected lieutenant governor in 1932. Townsend's mother nominated him for governor at the 1936 Democratic state convention, and he was elected.

During World War II Townsend used his farm experience in government service, directing the Office of Agricultural War Relations, Agricultural Conservation and Adjustment Administration, and Food Production Administration. In 1943 he resigned from federal service and returned to Indiana to manage his farms in Blackford and Grant counties. Townsend was the Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in 1946 and was defeated by William E. Jenner.

An informal, folksy man, "Cliff" Townsend was credited with the safety measure of having all school buses painted yellow for instant identification.

HENRY SCHRICKER was born in North Judson, the son of Bavarian immigrants, and attended Starke County public schools. He ran the Starke County Democrat, a weekly newspaper, for eleven years, then went into banking.

In 1924 Schricker, a Democrat, ran unsuccessfully for the state senate, but in 1932 he was elected to the same post. After serving as lieutenant governor from 1937 to 1941 he was elected governor in 1940 and again in 1948, becoming the first governor to be elected to two four-year terms.

Challenged by Republican legislatures in both terms, Schricker's administrations were notable for the repeal in 1941 of the government reorganization laws of 1933 and legislative attempts to make welfare department records available to the public in violation of federal confidentiality requirements.
Schricker was twice defeated for the United States Senate (in 1944 and 1952). Reportedly Franklin Roosevelt offered him the vice-presidential nomination in 1944, and Schricker declined. When his name came up as a possible candidate for the Presidency, he said with rare candor and modesty that the suggestion embarrassed him, since "a man ought to know his own limitations." He received national recognition in 1952 when he nominated Adlai Stevenson for President at the Democratic National Convention.

Schricker was a tremendously popular politician. He was described as a "typical Hoosier" and a small-town boy. An inveterate cigar smoker and tobacco chewer, Schricker excelled at the art of the political banquet and "the art of remembering people." He was spare, wore his pince-nez spectacles on a black ribbon, and with a sure sense for symbolism claimed a white hat as his political trademark.

Schricker was vice-president of an investment firm from 1944 to 1948; following his second term as governor he became president of an insurance company. He retired in 1960 to his home at Knox.

RALPH GATES was born in Columbia City and continued to call it home throughout his life. After receiving both undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan, Gates returned home to enter his father's law practice. He served in World War I and upon his return became politically active as his father had been. Eventually he served as Indiana commander of the American Legion and as Republican state chairman.

In 1944 Gates was elected governor, his first public office and the first Republican to be elected governor of Indiana since 1928. During his administration state departments were created to deal with problems of revenue, flood control, veterans' affairs, and traffic safety. A lively, dynamic man, who spoke effectively in a deep, gravelly voice, Gates' popularity was frequently attributed to his grass roots familiarity with the state.

Following his term as governor, Gates resumed his law practice in Columbia City, eventually being joined by both his son and his daughter, and continued to be active until 1974. He was for many years a force in state politics, acting as GOP national committeeman from 1947 to 1961. Much of his retirement was spent at his home on Crooked Lake, where the Ralph Gates Nature Preserve was dedicated in the spring of 1978.

GEORGE CRAIG was born in Brazil, Indiana. He received his law degree from Indiana University and practiced with his father, a staunch "Jeffersonian" Democrat. During World War II he attained the rank of lieutenant colonel while serving in Europe, and after discharge he became involved in the American Legion on local and state levels, finally as national commander. He initiated the American Legion's "Tide for Toys" campaign, designed to distribute toys to foreign children.

Craig was elected governor on the Republican ticket in 1952. The Department of Corrections was created during Craig's administration, and the State Department of Health was reorganized to provide greater mental health care. He was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1955-characterized as one of Eisenhower's favorite young Republicans, "a swift-footed, swashbuckling lawyer politician." However, Craig's political future was subdued when several of his close advisers were convicted in 1958 of bribery in acquiring state highway construction contracts.

Following his term as the "travelingest governor" in the state, Craig continued to travel, directing several business corporations and practicing law in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. In 1967 he returned to his quiet Brazil law practice and Clay County farm.

HAROLD HANDLEY was born in La Porte, Indiana, and graduated from Indiana University. He helped his father with the management of a furniture company in La Porte and became sales representative for a North Carolina-based furniture manufacturer.

Handley's political career in the state senate (1940-1941) was interrupted by his army service during World War II. Upon his return he was elected to the state senate in 1948 and lieutenant governor in 1952. Handley ran for governor and lost in 1952 but was elected governor in 1956. Handley raised some controversy when he ran for the United States Senate in 1958 midway in his term of office. He lost the Senate race to Democrat Vance Hartke and returned to the State House to complete his term. Handley was accessible to both the press and the public, establishing an unusual rapport with the citizens.

In 1961 Handley began an Indianapolis public relations and advertising firm convinced that, although a novice in the business, he would "go out and sell it." A large, gregarious man, Handley's political trademark was a blue polka-dot tie.

MATTHEW WELSH was born in Detroit, Michigan, and moved to Vincennes in 1924. His father was a securities broker active in Democratic politics. Welsh graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and from the University of Chicago Law School and returned to Vincennes to practice law.

A Democrat, Welsh served in the Indiana House of Representatives, but his term ended when he resigned to join the navy in 1943. After the war he served as United States attorney and state senator before being elected governor in 1960. His term was marked by the enactment of a two percent sales tax to raise crucial revenues.

Welsh, a tall, slender, dignified man, once said he had two basic rules: "it never costs you to be a gentleman" and "you try to base everything on fact, so get all the facts." In 1965 Lyndon Johnson appointed Welsh to represent the United States as part-time chairman of the International Joint Commission on Waterways with Canada, designed to protect and maintain water levels along the United States-Canadian border. Later he resumed his law practice in Indianapolis, and he ran again for governor in 1972, losing to Otis R. Bowen.