George Richard Durgan (January 20, 1872 – January 13, 1942) was a

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

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 ...

from 1933 to 1935.

Biography

Born in

Westpoint, Indiana West Point (sometimes shown as Westpoint) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Wayne Township, Tippecanoe County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 594 at the 2010 census. The community is part of the Lafa ...

, Durgan attended the village school there. He moved to

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...

, in 1892 and was employed as a clerk and later as a traveling salesman. He engaged in mercantile pursuits. He served as mayor of Lafayette in 1904–1913 and 1917–1925 and he served as delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1912.

Congress

Durgan was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the 73rd Congress (March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1934 to the

74th Congress The 74th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1935, ...

Later career and death

He resumed mercantile pursuits. He was appointed to the Indiana Public Service Commission in 1941 and moved to

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, Indiana. He died in Indianapolis on January 13, 1942, and was interred in Springvale Cemetery in Lafayette. The former Durgan elementary school in the

Lafayette School Corporation The Lafayette School Corporation administers three high schools, one intermediate school, one Jr. High School and eight elementary schools in Lafayette, Indiana. Its administrative offices are at 2300 Cason Street in Lafayette, Indiana. Histo ...

was named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durgan, George Richard 1872 births 1942 deaths Mayors of Lafayette, Indiana Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana