Harold W. Handley

Harold Willis Handley ( born November 27, 1909 in La Porte, LaPorte County, Indiana; † August 30, 1972 in Rawlins, Wyoming ) was an American politician and 1957-1961 the 40th Governor of Indiana.

Early years and political rise

Harold Handley attended until 1932, the Indiana University. He then worked in the furniture business of his father in La Porte. Subsequently, he was a sales agent for a furniture company in North Carolina. As a member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 1940 in the Senate of Indiana. The Second World War interrupted his political career. Between 1942 and 1946 he was an officer in the U.S. Army. In the end, he brought it up to lieutenant colonel. Between 1949 and 1952 he was again a member of the State Senate; 1953 to 1957 he served as lieutenant governor under Governor George N. Craig, and thus as his deputy. In 1956 he was elected with 55.6 percent of the vote to Democrat Ralph Tucker the new Governor of Indiana.

Governor of Indiana

Handley's four-year term began on January 14, 1957. During this time, a veterinary faculty at Purdue University was founded. Provided financing for a new harbor on Lake Michigan, a new labor law was against the will of the governor by the state parliament in force. In addition, a new 13-storey government building was erected. When Handley in his tenure in 1958 competed in the middle for a seat in the U.S. Senate, where he quite clearly defeated Democrat Vance Hartke, pushed this plan in Indiana partly on misunderstanding and led to a loss of popularity of the governor.

After the end of his term in January 1961, Handley withdrew from politics. He opened in Indianapolis, a public relations company. Handley died in 1972 in Wyoming and was buried in his hometown of La Porte. He was married to Barbara Winterble, with whom he had two children.