Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Durational residency requirements as a qualification for holding statewide elected office appear in most state constitutions. These requirements are said to promote legitimate state interests, such as giving voters an extended period of time to get to know the individuals who are interested in holding statewide public office. Indiana is no different. In Article 5, Section 7 of its 1851 constitution, Indiana requires governors to have been “a resident of” the state for five years preceding election. Because no governor’s satisfaction of this requirement had ever been questioned, the constitutional language had never been interpreted – until 1988. In November, 1987, Evan Bayh announced his intention to seek the Democratic Party’s nomination for governor in the 1988 election. However, for approximately thirteen months during the required five year period, Bayh worked in Washington, D.C. As a result, a question arose whether Bayh was “a resident of” Indiana while he lived and worked in Washington. His eligibility to serve as governor, if elected, was formally challenged by leaders of the Indiana Republican Party. Bayh argued that he had been “a resident of” Indiana his entire life even though he had temporarily lived elsewhere. Bayh argued that the constitution does not require physical presence in order to be a resident of the state. Rather, residency was akin to domicile, a legal concept meaning that place which, once established, an individual considers to be his/her permanent home. One’s domicile cannot be terminated absent evidence of a clear intention to do so. Those challenging Bayh maintained that continued physical presence for the entire five years was, in fact, constitutionally required. In the alternative, his opponents argued that the actions taken by Bayh during his time in Washington were sufficient to establish his intent to terminate his residency in Indiana and re-establish it there. For almost eight months, Bayh’s eligibility to serve was a focal point of public attention in the 1988 governor’s race. While Bayh and his opponents pursued answers in several legal forums, they also were competing for advantage in the most important forum of all – the court of public opinion. Finally, on April 28, 1988, the Indiana Supreme Court rendered a decision declaring Bayh eligible to serve, if elected. This thesis considers not only what happened, but why. Were those challenging Bayh’s residency motivated by constitutionalism, partisan advantage or both? What were the political implications of the challenge? What was the significance of the extensive “forum-shopping” in which both sides engaged. In the end, did the attempt to disqualify Bayh actually strengthen his candidacy and help propel him to victory in November, 1988?

Ralph F. Gates was governor of Indiana from 1945 to 1949 when events following the end of World War II forced Hoosiers to make many crucial decisions concerning the role of state government. Gates was the first Republican governor of Indiana since the Depression and he was one of the few Hoosier governors to have effective majorities in two successive General Assemblies. This study analyzes the achievements of the Gates administration by focusing upon Gates' pledges in his 1944 campaign and his success in implementing those pledges.Campaign press releases and the 1944 Indianapolis newspapers identified the issues Gates had stressed during the campaign. Gates emphasized the need for state and federal cooperation in helping veterans adjust to peacetime conditions; industrial expansion to assure continued economic growth and prosperity; additional personnel and facilities for Indiana's public education and public health programs so as to furnish expanded services; and efficient and economic administration of state government.Official state documents furnished information concerning the achievements of the Gates administration. The single most important achievement in the area of veterans' affairs was the creation of the Department of Veterans' Affairs. This new state department helped approximately 300,000 Hoosier veterans adjust to civilian life.Several new state agencies encouraged industrial expansion and aided in providing jobs for the returning veterans. The Department of Commerce and Public Relations helped attract to Indiana 300 new industries which employed nearly 30,000 Hoosiers. A reorganized State Highway Commission spent $78,000,000 in three years to improve the state highway system. To help relieve the increasing congestion on the state's highways, the new Aeronautics Commission of Indiana sought to develop a state-wide system of aviation.Indiana's growth and prosperity was ultimately reliant upon a strong educational system. To help attract qualified teachers, the state's minimum salary schedule was amended so that a beginning teacher could earn $2,400 for a nine month school year. The state almost doubled its amount of local school support from $24,700,000 in 1943-1944 to $48,800,000 in 1947-1948. Local school districts were given additional powers of taxation. The State Board of Education was reorganized and given additional powers concerning textbook adoptions and federal school lunch programs. Finally, the state appropriated approximately $45,000,000 to help the four state colleges and universitiesprovide for increased enrollments.In the area of public health, the State Board of Health was reorganized and an Indiana Council for Mental Health was created. The licensing of all hospitals in the state was required for the first time and a coordinated plan for hospital construction was developed. Over $8,000,000 was appropriated to construct new public health facilities, and the establishment of full-time local health offices was encouraged through legislation authorizing adjacent counties or cities and counties to combine to offer full-time health offices.Although they increased state services, Gates and his Republican associates managed to keep the budget balanced by improving governmental efficiency and raising taxes on alcoholic beverages and cigarettes. His achievements establish that Gates did indeed accomplish what he had pledged in the areas of veterans' affairs, economic readjustment, public education, public health, and fiscal and administrative affairs.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Although the main emphasis of this study is Lane and his part in the Republican Party, another important part to this thesis is the examination of Indiana and national politics in the 1850s. This thesis studies the development of the Hoosier Republican Party and the obstacles the young organization experienced as it transformed into a major political party. Party leaders generally focused on states like New York and Pennsylvania in national elections but Indiana became increasingly significant leading up to the 1860 election. Though Hoosier names like George Julian and Schuyler Colfax might be more recognizable nationally for their role in the Republican Party, this thesis argues that Lane played a guiding role in the development of the new third party in Indiana. Through the study of primary sources, it is clear that Hoosiers turned to Lane to lead the organization of the Republican Party and to lead it to its success in elections. Historians have long acknowledged Lane’s involvement in the 1860 Republican National Convention but fail to fully realize his significance in Indiana throughout the 1850s. This thesis argues that Lane was a vital leader in Hoosier politics and helped transform the Republican Party in Indiana from a grassroots movement into a powerful political party by 1860.