Earl F. Landgrebe
| Earl Landgrebe | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 2nd district |
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In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1975 |
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| Preceded by | Charles A. Halleck |
| Succeeded by | Floyd Fithian |
| Member of the Indiana Senate | |
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In office 1959–1968 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Earl Fredrick Landgrebe January 21, 1916 Valparaiso, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | July 1, 1986 (aged 70) Valparaiso, Indiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Occupation | Transportation entrepreneur |
Earl Fredrick Landgrebe (January 21, 1916 – July 1, 1986) was a politician and businessman. He served as an Indiana state senator and United States representative for the 2nd district. Langrebe was from Valparaiso in Porter County, Indiana. He is remembered unfavorably for his famous line at the Watergate hearings: "Don’t confuse me with the facts." Landgrebe stuck with Richard Nixon until the bitter end.
Landgrebe was born in Valparaiso, Indiana in 1916, the son of Edward William Landgrebe and Benna Marie Landgrebe (née Broderman). He attended Wheeler High School near Valparaiso. He married Helen Lucille Field on July 12, 1936. He was elected to the state senate of Indiana in 1959 as a Republican and served there until 1968. In that year, he was elected to represent Indiana's 2nd district in the House of Representatives.
On August 5, 1974, Richard Nixon released certain documents revealing his orders to aides to hinder the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation of the Watergate break-in. When Landgrebe was asked on August 7 about the apparently unanimous support for impeachment of Nixon among his Republican colleagues following this disclosure, he said: "I'm going to stick with my President even if he and I have to be taken out of this building and shot." The next day, Richard Nixon announced his resignation. A few months later, Landgrebe was shown the door by his constituents. His re-election bid was derailed by Democrat Floyd Fithian.
After his defeat, Earl Landgrebe returned to his home in Valparaiso where he owned and managed Landgrebe Motor Transport Inc., a common carrier and freight hauling company. In February 1980, the Machinist Union was on strike at the Union Rolls Corporation in Valparaiso, Indiana. The former congressman personally confronted picketers with a tractor trailer. On February 13 he completed two trips into the Union Rolls plant to pick up and haul away merchandise. Both times, the Union unsuccessfully tried to prevent his entrance into the plant. On a third trip later that day, he was not so fortunate. Union members surrounded the truck. They swung clubs and broke mirrors and shattered glass. Landgrebe was showered with broken glass. A local sheriff broke up the incident.
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