George N. Craig

George North Craig (August 6, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American attorney and politician who served as 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. Early life 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. He 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. Among Craig's classmates was William E. Jenner, who would later become his primary opponent within the Republican Party. The two often argued over politics while in school together. In 1931 Craig married his classmate Kathryn Louisa Heiliger. After graduating with a law degree in 1932, the couple returned to Clay County where they had two children, Margery and John, and Craig began practicing law in his father's firm.