IUS Times

Book on Indiana governors is produced by IU Southeast professors

IU Southeast professors Linda Gugin and James St. Clair have finished a three-year writing and editing project that culminated in the publication of a new book, The Governors of Indiana. The 436-page book is likely the most comprehensive and up-to-date tome ever written on Indiana's highest political office.

"We saw a real need for a book like this," said Gugin, a professor of political science. "There was a noticeable void when it came to Indiana governors, and we wanted to fill it."

St. Clair, a professor of journalism, added that he and Gugin have both written other books in a similar vein. "We've written a lot of biographies and we enjoy politics, so it seemed like a good fit," St. Clair said.

The two writers-researchers-professors divvied up this gargantuan project by centuries. St. Clair was responsible for 19th century governors and Gugin for 20th century governors. They also enlisted the help of their colleagues. Many of the chapters were written by fellow IU Southeast professors.

Each governor's biography has a different focus or theme. Gugin and St. Clair felt like this approach made the book more engaging or readable. "We didn't gloss anything over," says Gugin. "If they had warts, we wrote about the warts."

The book begins with territorial governor William Henry Harrison ((1801-1812) and ends with our current governor, Mitchell Daniels. In all, there are 50 governor biographies. St. Clair says his favorite governor is James Mount (1897 - 1901) because "he was effective and worked well with both political parties." Gugin likes Paul McNutt (1933 - 1937) whom she calls "a fascinating person and arguably one of the most powerful governors in Indiana history."

Funding for the book came from the Indiana Historical Society and was published by the Indiana Historical Society Press. Nearly every governor profile includes a photograph, which was provided by the Indiana Historical Bureau.

The book can be purchased at most major book stores and can be found in the IU Southeast Library.

-Back to Top-