Robert L. Rock | |
---|---|
30th Mayor of Anderson, Indiana | |
In office 1972–1980 |
|
Preceded by | J. Ed Flanagan |
Succeeded by | Thomas R. McMahan |
50th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana | |
In office January 11, 1965 – January 13, 1969 |
|
Governor | Roger D. Branigin |
Preceded by | Richard O. Ristine |
Succeeded by | Richard E. Folz |
Member of the Indiana House of Representatives | |
In office 1955 1959 1961 1963 |
|
Personal details | |
Born |
Alexandria, Indiana, U.S. |
September 8, 1927
Died | January 9, 2013 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
(aged 85)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Mary Jo Ferguson (1956-2013, his death) |
Children | Four |
Alma mater | Business (Indiana University) |
Occupation | Politician |
Robert L. Rock (September 8, 1927 – January 9, 2013) was an American politician who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Indiana from 1965 to 1969 and as the Mayor of Anderson, Indiana from 1972 to 1980. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Indiana in 1968, but lost to Republican Edgar Whitcomb.
Born in Alexandria, Indiana, Rock grew up in Anderson, Indiana. He served in the United States Navy during World War II as a hospital corpsman at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in business in 1951.
In 1954, at the age of 26, Rock was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives as a Democrat serving in the 1955, 1959, 1961, and 1963 sessions. Then he served as Lieutenant Governor of Indiana from 1965-1969. In 1968, Rock won the Democratic nomination for Governor of Indiana, but lost the general election to Republican Secretary of State Edgar Whitcomb. He later served as Mayor of Anderson, Indiana from 1972-1980, where he established the Anderson Housing Authority Commission and the City of Anderson Transportation System (CATS).
In 1956, he married Mary Jo Ferguson with whom he had four children and later nine grandchildren.
Rock died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 9, 2013 at the age of 85.