Frank Ed Mrvan Jr. (born April 11, 1933) is an American politician who served as a

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

member of the

Indiana Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms ...

, representing the 1st District from 1979 to 1994 and again from 1998, until his retirement in 2022.

Early life and education

Mrvan was born in

East Chicago, Indiana East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census. The city is home of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, an artificial freshwater harbor characterized by industrial and manufacturing ac ...

in 1933, the son of the late Frank Edward and the late Antonina (née Spychalski) Mrvan. He is of Polish and Czechoslovakian descent. Known as Frank Ed Mrvan, Jr, he attended Washington High School in East Chicago. He attended Indiana University Northwest and the

American Institute of Banking The American Bankers Association (ABA) is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association for the U.S. banking industry, founded in 1875. They lobby for banks of all sizes and charters, including community banks, regional and money center banks, savi ...

. Mrvan enlisted in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...

, serving from 1952 to 1956. He served in the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

. He was an Airman 1st Class (E-3).

Career

Mrvan worked in industry and banking. He worked for the Mobil Oil Company, where he was a union member. He became a Cost Accountant for M and T Chemical Company, and Bank Financial Officer for National City Indiana. Mrvan entered politics, joining the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, which became a force in the region by the 1930s. He was elected to the

in 1978, and, with repeated re-elections, served from 1979 through 1995. Mrvan was elected again in 1998. Redistricting passed by the Indiana General Assembly in 2011 shifted the State Senate 1st district's boundaries, effective January 2013. The district was changed to include Hammond's 4th, 5th, 6th city districts, the town of

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following th ...

, the town of

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

, the west side of the town of Griffith, the north side of the town of Dyer, parts of the town of

Schererville Schererville is a town in St. John Township, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,646 at the 2020 census It is a suburb of Chicago located just 30 miles south of the city History Long before Indiana became a state ...

, and part of the City of Crown Point.

Personal life

Mrvan married and had two children. His son,

Frank J. Mrvan Frank John Mrvan (; born April 16, 1969) is an American mortgage broker and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2021. From 2005 until 2021, he served as the township trustee for North Township, Indiana. Mrvan is a me ...

, also entered politics from Lake County. He was elected as a North Township trustee. In 2019 the younger Frank Mrvan decided to run for the Democratic nomination in

Indiana's 1st congressional district Indiana's 1st congressional district is an electoral district for the U.S. Congress in Northwestern Indiana. The district is based in Gary and its surrounding suburbs and exurbs. It consists of all of Lake and Porter counties, as well as most ...

to succeed

Pete Visclosky Peter John Visclosky ( ; born August 13, 1949) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1985 until his retirement in 2021. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was the dean of the Indiana congressional de ...

, who was retiring after a long tenure in office. Supported by Visclosky as his successor, Frank Mrvan won the Democratic nomination over 13 other candidates, and also defeated his Republican rival in the general election. He was sworn in on January 3, 2021.

References

External links

State Senator Frank Mrvan
''official Indiana State Legislature site'' * Living people 1933 births 21st-century American legislators Democratic Party Indiana state senators American politicians of Polish descent American people of Czechoslovak descent 21st-century Indiana politicians Indiana University Northwest alumni {{Indiana-politician-stub