M. Clifford Townsend
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| Maurice Clifford Townsend | |
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| In office 1925 – 1929 |
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| In office January 9, 1933 – January 13, 1937 |
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35th Governor of Indiana
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| In office January 11, 1937 – January 13, 1941 |
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| Preceded by | Paul V. McNutt |
| Succeeded by | Henry F. Schricker |
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| Born | August 11, 1884 Blackford County, Indiana, |
| Died | November 11, 1954 Hartford City, Indiana |
| Spouse | Nora Adele Harris[1] |
| Religion | Methodist[2] |
Maurice Clifford Townsend (1884 - 1954) was governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1937 to 1941.
[edit] Biography
Townsend was born on a farm to David and Lydia Townsend. There he attended school in Blackford County, Indiana. After completing highschool e worked as a teamster in the oil fields and later in a factory. In 1901 he enteredMarion College in Grant County. After working as a teacher six years to pay for his education he graduated in 1907. He then taught in the common schools, and served for fourteen years as school superintendent for different counties between 1909 to 1919..
He entered politics as a representative in the Indiana house in 1923. His time in the legislature was focused mostly on reforming the state's tax code, and desire he carried through his term as governor. He was elected lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket and served from 1933 until 1937 during the administration of Paul V. McNutt. Townsend's mother nominated him for governor at the 1936 Democratic state convention, and he was elected.
Townsend was inaugurated January 11, 1937. During his term as governor drivers' license examinations became a required law, the state division of labor was created, and the state department of financial institutions was sanctioned. He also established the state's flood response program in 1937 in response to the Great Flood of 1937 which destroyed every community on the Ohio River. His term ended January 13, 1941. Indiana was the only state effected by the flood where there were no drownings reported. Harry L. Hopkins of the National Relief Administrator sai, "No state was better managed during the flood than Indiana."
Townsend also put Anderson under martial law to break up a strike and the General Motors plant.
During World War II Townsend used his farm experience in government service, directing the Office of Agricultural War Relations, Agricultural Conservation and Adjustment Administration, and Food Production Administration serving there in 1941 and 1943. In 1943 he resigned from federal service and returned to Indiana to manage his farms in Blackford and Grant counties. Townsend was the Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in 1946 and was defeated by William E. Jenner.
An informal, folksy man, "Cliff" Townsend was credited with the safety measure of having all school buses painted yellow for instant identification.[citation needed] He died November 11, 1954]], and was buried at the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Hartford City, Indiana.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Indiana Historical Bureau: Biography and portrait
- Find-A-Grave biography
- National Governors Association
- Indiana County History - Townsend Biography
| Preceded by Paul V. McNutt |
Governor of Indiana January 11, 1937 - January 13, 1941 |
Succeeded by Henry F. Schricker |
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