Elwood Haynes "Bud" Hillis (March 6, 1926 – January 4, 2023) was an American politician and lawyer from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. He was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, serving

Indiana's 5th congressional district Indiana's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana that takes the north side of Indianapolis as well as its eastern and northern suburbs, including Marion, Carmel, Anderson, Noblesville, Fishers, ...

for 8 terms from 1971 to 1987.

Personal life and early career

Born in Kokomo, Indiana, Hillis attended Kokomo public schools. He graduated from

Culver Military Academy Culver Academies is a college preparatory boarding school located in Culver, Indiana, which is composed of three entities: Culver Military Academy (CMA) for boys, Culver Girls Academy (CGA), and the Culver Summer Schools and Camps (CSSC). Culver ...

, 1944. B.S.,

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

, 1949. J.D.,

School of Law, 1952. Bud Hillis was a younger brother to renowned choral director

Margaret Hillis Margaret Eleanor Hillis (October 1, 1921, Kokomo, Indiana – February 5, 1998, Evanston, Illinois) was an American conductor. She was the founder and first director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus. Life Hillis was born in Kokomo, Indiana, in 1 ...

. Their father, Glen R. Hillis, was the Republican nominee for

Governor of Indiana The governor of Indiana is the head of government of the State of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state governmen ...

in 1940, losing by less than 4,000 votes. His maternal grandfather and namesake,

Elwood Haynes Elwood Haynes (October 14, 1857 – April 13, 1925) was an American inventor, metallurgist, automotive pioneer, entrepreneur and industrialist. He invented the metal alloy stellite and independently co-discovered martensitic stainless steel ...

, was an inventor and automobile pioneer. Hillis was a resident of

Windsor, Colorado Windsor is a home rule municipality in Larimer and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 32,716. Windsor is located in the Northern Colorado region. History In 1873, a settl ...

. He died on January 4, 2023, at the age of 96.Elwood "Bud" Hillis
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Military career

Hillis served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

in the European Theater with the rank of first lieutenant from 1944 to 1946. He retired from the Reserves in 1954 with rank of captain in the infantry.

Political career

Hillis was admitted to the Indiana bar in 1952 and commenced practice in Kokomo. Hillis served as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, Ninety-fifth and Ninety-sixth General Assemblies. Hillis also served as a delegate, Indiana State Republican conventions from 1962 to 1970.

Congress

Hillis was elected as a

to the Ninety-second and to the seven succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1987). He was not a candidate for reelection in 1986.

Later career

Hillis resumed the practice of law. On March 17, 2010, Bud Hillis was honored for his years in public service at the Howard County Lincoln Day Dinner, held at the Kokomo Country Club in Kokomo, Indiana.

References