_______________________, read first time and referred to Committee on
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION urging the Indiana department
of transportation to rename the bridge over U. S. Highway 231 South
after former Governor Roger D. Branigin.
Whereas, Roger D. Branigin of Lafayette, Indiana, served
as governor of Indiana from 1965 through 1968, culminating
a colorful and successful career of public service to his
community, the state, and the nation;
Whereas, Roger Branigin, who was noted for his quick
mind, intelligence, and ready wit, was known throughout the
state as a successful lawyer, community and business leader,
popular after-dinner speaker, and exceptional student of
Indiana history;
Whereas, Roger Douglas Branigin was born July 26,
1902, in Franklin, Indiana, and died November 19, 1975;
Whereas, Roger Branigin was the son of a distinguished
lawyer and historian and followed in the family tradition of
practicing law;
Whereas, After graduating from Franklin College and Harvard University School of Law, he practiced law for three years in Franklin, Indiana, during which time he served as deputy prosecuting attorney. In 1930 he joined the legal department of the Federal Land Bank and Farm Credit Administration in the Louisville regional office where he rose to the position of general counsel, forming friendships and professional relationships with attorneys and government, business, and community leaders across Indiana;
Whereas, Soon after the United States entered World War
II, Roger Branigin volunteered for military service and was
commissioned in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the
Army, where he became chief of the legal division of the
Transportation Corps, attaining the rank of lieutenant
colonel;
Whereas, After returning from the war, Roger Branigin
resumed his law practice in Lafayette, Indiana;
Whereas, Always active in community affairs, Roger
Branigin served as president of the Greater Lafayette
Chamber of Commerce, president of Harrison Trails Council
of the Boy Scouts of America, and trustee of the Tippecanoe
County Historical Association;
Whereas, Roger Branigin's interest and achievements in
his chosen profession were reflected in his activities in the
American Bar Association and his election as president of
the Tippecanoe County Bar Association, president of the
Indiana State Bar Association, president of the American
Law Institute, and Fellow of the American College of Trial
Lawyers;
Whereas, A major interest in his life was education and,
both publicly and privately, his quiet philanthropy was a
continuing source of support for individual students and for
schools and institutions of higher learning;
Whereas, Roger Branigin was a member of the board of
trustees of Purdue University and a trustee and chairman of
the board of Franklin College. One of his most cherished
acts as governor was the launching of the Hoosier
Scholarship Program to help needy and deserving young men
and women attend college;
Whereas, A student of Indiana history and Hoosier folklore, Roger Branigin organized the David Demaree Banta Collection, which numbers over 1,000 items and
includes manuscripts, periodicals, and books written by
Hoosiers. The collection, which he donated to Franklin
College, also contains information about the geography,
government, and industry of Indiana;
Whereas, In 1951, Roger Branigin was elected to the
Indiana Academy, an honor reserved to those outstanding in
public service, public education, arts, sciences, literature,
and general culture;
Whereas, Roger Branigin had a lifelong interest in
politics;
Whereas, Roger Branigin served as chairman of the
Democratic state convention in 1948;
Whereas, Following an unsuccessful run for governor in
1956, Roger Branigin was elected governor in 1964 by a
record-breaking plurality;
Whereas, Highlights of the Branigin administration
include the elimination of the poll tax and personal property
tax on household goods and the repeal of the "right-to-work"
law, the creation of the department of natural resources, and
the construction of the Port of Indiana at Burns Ditch on
Lake Michigan;
Whereas, In addition to his service to the state of Indiana
as governor, Roger Branigin also served as a trustee of the
Lilly Endowment and was a board member of the Indiana
Historical Society, and, in his later years, served as
chairman of the Indiana American Revolution Bicentennial
Commission;
Whereas, Roger Branigin agreed to enter the 1968
Indiana presidential primary as a stand-in for President
Lyndon B. Johnson, but when Johnson decided not to run, he
stayed in the race as a favorite son, losing to Robert F.
Kennedy but gathering more votes than Senator Eugene
McCarthy;
Whereas, Roger Branigin received honorary degrees from a number of colleges and universities, including Indiana
University, Butler University, and Franklin College. He was
a member of the First Baptist Church of Franklin and of
many civic organizations; and
Whereas, Governor Roger Branigin was very interested in
the history of our great state. It is, therefore, appropriate
that we honor this great man with a permanent remembrance
to the contributions he made to the state of Indiana:
Therefore,
SECTION 1. That in recognition of the many achievements of Roger
D. Branigin and his outstanding service to the nation, to the state of
Indiana, and to the greater Lafayette community, the Indiana General
Assembly urges the Indiana Department of Transportation to designate
the bridge over U. S. Highway 231 South after former Governor Roger
D. Branigin.
SECTION 2. That the Principal Clerk of the House of
Representatives transmit a copy of this resolution to the commissioner
of the Indiana Department of Transportation.