John E. Chandler (July 13, 1915–October 15, 1982) was an American politician who served in the

Kansas State Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Members o ...

from 1977 to 1982. Chandler was born in Topeka and raised in Junction City and

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

. He attended the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

, where he studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

, and served in the U.S. Army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, serving as a major with a

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

battalion in the European theater. After the war, he worked in

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

for several oil companies before purchasing the ''Holton Recorder'', a local newspaper, in 1950; he served as publisher there for the rest of his life. Chandler was elected to the Kansas State Senate in 1976 and re-elected in 1980. He died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

while mowing his lawn in October 1982, in the midst of his second Senate term;

Edward Francis Gordon Edward Francis Gordon (November 18, 1928–October 16, 2013) was an American politician who served in the Kansas House of Representatives and Kansas State Senate. Gordon was born in Highland, Kansas Highland is a city in Doniphan County ...

was appointed to replace him.

References

1915 births 1982 deaths Republican Party Kansas state senators 20th-century American legislators Politicians from Topeka, Kansas People from Holton, Kansas 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army officers University of Kansas alumni {{Kansas-politician-stub