Winfield T. Durbin
| Winfield T. Durbin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 25th Governor of Indiana | |
|
In office January 14, 1901 – January 9, 1905 |
|
| Lieutenant | Newton W. Gilbert |
| Preceded by | James A. MountMilitary rank insignia of the Union Army |
| Succeeded by | Frank Hanly |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 4, 1847 Lawrenceburg, Indiana |
| Died | December 18, 1928 (aged 81) Anderson, Indiana |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Bertha McCullough |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1862–1864 1898 |
| Rank |
 Colonel
|
| Unit | 139th Regiment Indiana Infantry |
| Battles/wars |
American Civil War Spanish–American War |
Winfield Taylor Durbin (May 4, 1847 – December 18, 1928) was the 25th Governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1901 to 1905. His term focused on progressive legislation and suppression of white cap vigilante organizations operating in the southern part of the state. He was the seventh and last veteran of the American Civil War to serve as governor.
Durbin was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, on May 4, 1847, the son of William S. and Eliza Ann Sparks, the youngest of seven sons. While still a young boy, his family moved to New Philadelphia, Indiana where he attended public school and worked in his father's tannery producing leather. At the outbreak of the American Civil War, he and his brothers enlisted in the Union army. His brothers were accepted, but he was turned away because of a recent arm injury. After it healed he attempted to enlist again, and helped raise a company of the 139th Regiment Indiana Infantry, serving from April 1864 until the conclusion of the war. He mustered in at Camp Morton and his regiment was first dispatched to the Siege of Vicksburg, and was then in the expedition to Arkansas Post.
He left the army after the war and studied briefly in a community college in St. Louis, Missouri before moving to Indianapolis, Indiana where he worked in a dry-goods store as a bookkeeper. In 1879 he left Indianapolis and moved to Anderson where he met Bertha McCullough. The two were married on October 6, 1875 and had two children. During the Indiana Gas Boom, Durbin worked with his father-in-law to found a number of manufacturing businesses and became moderately wealthy.
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