George N. Craig
| George N. Craig | |
|---|---|
Governor George N. Craig of Indiana, 1954
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| 39th Governor of Indiana | |
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In office January 12, 1953 – January 14, 1957 |
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| Lieutenant | Harold W. Handley |
| Preceded by | Henry F. Schricker |
| Succeeded by | Harold W. Handley |
| National Commander of The American Legion |
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In office 1949 – 1950 |
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| Preceded by | S. Perry Brown |
| Succeeded by | Erle Cocke, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
George North Craig August 6, 1909 Brazil, Indiana |
| Died | December 17, 1992 (aged 83) Brazil, Indiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Kathryn L. Heiliger |
| Alma mater | Indiana University |
| Profession | Politician, lawyer |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
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| Service/branch |
 United States Army
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| Years of service | 1941–1946 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant Colonel
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| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | |
George North Craig (August 6, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1953 until 1957. A lawyer and veteran of World War II who was promoted to serve in a division command staff, Craig first gained popularity in the state as National Commander of The American Legion. He was a political outsider when he ran for governor and was at odds with more conservative party leadership during his time in office. Although he made significant reforms, his term ended with a high profile bribery scandal when it was found that several high level state employees had been accepting bribes to influence their decision in assigning construction contracts. Craig was personally uninvolved in the scandal but was held responsible for it by the public, ending his political career.
At odds with party leaders, and angered by the bribery scandal, he left the state after his term and moved to Virginia where he opened a law office and later became president of an automotive company. After a decade he returned to Indiana where he retired from public life, but resumed activity in the Republican Party as a political adviser until his death in 1992.
George Craig was born August 6, 1909, in Brazil, Indiana, the son of attorney Bernard C. and Clo Branson Craig. He attended local public schools and graduated from Brazil High School in 1927. He enrolled the University of Arizona in the same year and continued there until 1929 where he was a member of the Delta Chi Fraternity. He later admitted that he spent little time studying and joined Kappa Beta Phi, a school forbidden drinking fraternity. He left the school before graduating and decided to become a lawyer. His enrolled in Indiana University School of Law in 1930, but was required to meet with the school dean, Paul V. McNutt, to explain his poor grades in Arizona. After promising to apply himself he was accepted into the school.
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