This week in Indiana’s history …
1816 – Governor Jonathan Jennings appointed John Johnson to be Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. He and Justices James Scott and Jesse L. Holman held their first session in May of 1817. Johnson died during the court’s first recess before any major decisions were made.
1916 – The John Philip Sousa band played two New Year’s Eve concerts at the Murat Theater in Indianapolis. The program included many of the Sousa favorites, including “Stars and Stripes Forever” and “The Washington Post March.” Earlier in his career, Sousa had been director of the Marine Band, known as “The President’s Own.” He directed the White House Band under five Presidents, including Indiana’s Benjamin Harrison.
1922 – H. D. McClelland, manager of the state automobile department, announced that the new 1922 license plates would be easier to read than those from years before. This was due to the change in size of the plates and numbers embossed on the plates. Ed Jackson, Secretary of State, had selected the colors for the new issues. Letters and numbers were white on a dark blue background.
1930 – Frank McKinney “Kin” Hubbard died at his home on North Meridian Street in Indianapolis. A journalist, cartoonist, and humorist, his most famous creation was Abe Martin, a cracker-barrel philosopher who lived in Brown County, Ind. Abe Martin’s short, comical, and topical quips appeared daily in over 200 newspapers across the country. Will Rogers described his friend Hubbard as “America’s greatest humorist.”
1934 – The Porter County Courthouse in Valparaiso, opened in 1885, was severely damaged by fire. In subzero temperatures, the city fire department was assisted by firemen from Gary and LaPorte as flames rose through the 168-foot-tall tower. The building was repaired but the tower was not restored.
1960 – The Ben Davis High School band presented a concert on Monument Circle in Indianapolis to raise funds to travel to Washington, D. C. The group had been invited to perform in the inaugural parade for incoming President John F. Kennedy. The goal was met. The Indianapolis Star reported that, on inauguration day, the band, “smartly uniformed in purple and white,” was a big hit with the crowd.