Arch Newton Bobbitt (September 3, 1895 – January 24, 1978) was a justice of the

Indiana Supreme Court The Indiana Supreme Court, established by Article 7 of the Indiana Constitution, is the highest judicial authority in the state of Indiana. Located in Indianapolis, the Court's chambers are in the north wing of the Indiana Statehouse. In Dec ...

from January 2, 1951, to January 7, 1963. Born in Eckerty,

Crawford County, Indiana Crawford County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 10,526. The county seat is English, Indiana, English. Geography According to the 2010 census, the county has a total are ...

, Bobbit graduated from Birdseye High School,Linda C. Gugin and James E. St. Clair, ''Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court'' (2011), pp. 323-326. and attended Central Normal College in Danville, Indiana.Minde C. Browning, Richard Humphrey, and Bruce Kleinschmidt,
Biographical Sketches of Indiana Supreme Court Justices
, ''

Indiana Law Review Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (IU McKinney) is the law school of Indiana University Indianapolis, a public research university in Indianapolis, Indiana. The school has been based in Lawrence W. Inlow Hall in Indianapolis ...

'', Vol. 30, No. 1 (1997), section reproduced i
Indiana Courts Justice Biographies page
After working as a school teacher and principal for a year,Daniel F. Evans, ''At Home in Indiana for One Hundred and Seventy-five Years: The History of Meridian Street United Methodist Church, 1821–1996'' (1996), p. 161. he was elected Crawford County Clerk in 1918, but resigned that office to serve in the

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during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Bobbitt was the Crawford County Auditor from 1921 to 1925, and a gasoline tax collector from 1925 to 1929. In 1927, he received an LL.B. from the Benjamin Harrison Law School. He was elected State Auditor, "where he uncovered a gasoline bootlegging scheme and recovered evaded taxes". From 1937 to 1942, Bobbitt was chair of the Republican Party in Indiana, which had suffered substantial losses in the national Democratic surge brought on by the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. Bobbitt discussed the low Republican morale at the time with Homer E. Capehart, and approved Capehart's proposal to hold a massive "cornfield convention" in the state, drawing national participation and attention, and helping to restore the party's fortunes.Ralph D. Gray, ''Indiana History: A Book of Readings'' (1994), p. 337. From 1943 to 1948, Bobbitt was a city attorney for

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, and was chief city attorney for the last three years of that service. In 1950, Bobbitt was elected to the Indiana Supreme Court, assuming office on January 1, 1951, and immediately commencing a rotation as chief justice. Bobbit was defeated in his 1963 bid for re-election, thereafter returning to private practice.

References

Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court People from Crawford County, Indiana Military personnel from Indiana 1895 births 1978 deaths Canterbury College (Indiana) alumni Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law alumni Chief justices of the Indiana Supreme Court 20th-century Indiana state court judges {{Indiana-state-judge-stub