John Richard Walsh (May 22, 1913 – January 23, 1975) was an American lawyer and 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 1949 to 1951.

Early life and career

Born in

Martinsville, Indiana Martinsville is a city in Washington Township, Morgan County, Indiana, United States. The population was 14,980 at the 2020 United States census. The city is the county seat of Morgan County. History Martinsville was founded in 1822. It is said ...

, Walsh attended the local public schools and graduated from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

Law School in 1934. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

July 27, 1934, and engaged in the practice of law in Martinsville, Indiana, until 1941. He served as Morgan County attorney in 1935 and 1936, and deputy

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

for the state of Indiana in 1941. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

with the Thirty-fifth Infantry Division from May 18, 1942, until discharged as a

technical sergeant Technical sergeant is the name of three current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States Armed Forces, as well as in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. Outside the United States, it is used only by the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, and ...

June 15, 1943. He returned to Indiana in 1943 and continued the practice of law in

Anderson, Indiana Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. The population was 54,788 at the 2020 census. It is named after Chief William Anderson. The city is the headquarters of the Church of God and its Anderson ...

. He was chief deputy prosecuting attorney of

Madison County, Indiana Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. The 2020 census states the population is standing at 130,129. The county seat since 1836 has been Anderson, one of three incorporated cities within the county. Madison County is includ ...

, in 1945 and 1946, and probate commissioner for Madison County Circuit Court in 1948.

Congressional service

Walsh 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

Eighty-first Congress The 81st 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, 194 ...

(January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1950 and for election in 1954 to the Eighty-fourth Congress, after which he resumed the practice of law in Anderson.

Post-Congressional career

Walsh served as member of the board of directors and as secretary-treasurer of the State Security Life Insurance Co. from 1953 to 1958. He served as

Secretary of State of Indiana The secretary of state of Indiana is one of five constitutional officers originally designated in Indiana's state constitution of 1816. Since 1851, it has been an elected position. The secretary of state oversees four divisions, and is the third ...

from December 1, 1958, to November 30, 1960. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1960.

Death

He was

county attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

of Madison County from 1964 to 1965 and remained a resident of Anderson, Indiana, until his death there on January 23, 1975. He was interred in Greenlawn Cemetery in his hometown of Martinsville.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, John Richard 1913 births 1975 deaths Secretaries of state of Indiana Indiana state court judges United States Army soldiers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana People from Martinsville, Indiana 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century Indiana state court judges United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives