George Richard Durgan (January 20, 1872 – January 13, 1942) was an American politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

from 1933 to 1935.

Biography

Born in

Westpoint, Indiana West Point (sometimes shown as Westpoint) is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Wayne Township, Tippecanoe County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 594 at the 2010 census. The community is part of the Lafayett ...

, Durgan attended the village school there.

Early career

He moved to

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( ) is a city in and is the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Lafayette ...

, in 1892 and was employed as a clerk and later as a traveling salesman. He engaged in mercantile pursuits. He served as mayor of Lafayette from 1904 to 1913 and again from 1917 to 1925 and was delegate to the

1912 Democratic National Convention The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory off North Howard Street in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. The Convention The convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 t ...

. During his time as mayor, Durgan was an outspoken opponent of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

. He attempted to run for

Governor of Indiana The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the U.S. state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state gover ...

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

; his campaign announcement in

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 ...

was disrupted by hundreds of Klansmen, "nearly starting a riot." Durgan was passed over for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in favor of Carleton B. McCulloch, who lost the election to Republican

Edward L. Jackson Edward L. Jackson (December 27, 1873 – November 18, 1954) was an American attorney, judge and politician, elected the 32nd governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from January 12, 1925, to January 14, 1929. He had also been elected as Secreta ...

, who had the support of the Indiana Klan.

Congress

Durgan was elected as a

Democrat 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the

73rd Congress The 73rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1933, ...

(March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1934 to the

74th Congress The 74th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 193 ...

. Durgan lost the 1934 election to

Frederick Landis Frederick Landis (August 18, 1872 – November 15, 1934) was an American lawyer, politician, author, and newspaper editor who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1903 to 1907. He was a brother of both Charles Beary Lan ...

, who died before Congress convened.

Later career and death

He resumed mercantile pursuits. He was appointed to the Indiana

Public Service Commission Public Service Commission may refer to: * Public utilities commission ** Alabama Public Service Commission ** Public Service Commission (Indiana) ** Public Service Commission of Utah ** Public Utilities Commission of Ohio ** Public Utilities Com ...

in 1941 and moved to

, Indiana. He died in Indianapolis on January 13, 1942, and was interred in Springvale Cemetery in Lafayette.

Legacy

The former Durgan elementary school in the

Lafayette School Corporation The Lafayette School Corporation administers three high schools, one intermediate school, one junior high school and eight elementary schools in Lafayette, Indiana. Its administrative offices are at 2300 Cason Street in Lafayette, Indiana. I ...

was named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durgan, George Richard 1872 births 1942 deaths Mayors of Lafayette, Indiana Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 20th-century mayors of places in Indiana 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives