This week in Hoosier History Highlights for the week of Dec. 24:
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.
1848 – Paris Dunning became the ninth governor of Indiana when James Whitcomb resigned the office to go to the United States Senate. Dunning is the only person in state history to hold the offices of governor, lieutenant governor, state senator, president pro-tempore of the senate and state representative.
1880 – Johnny Gruelle was born in Arcola, Ill. His family moved to Indianapolis, where Johnny became an illustrator for a newspaper. Perhaps influenced by his friend and neighbor James Whitcomb Riley, Johnny created a character named Raggedy Ann. She appeared in his stories and inspired a rag doll which has been a favorite of children for nearly 100 years.
1903 – The first board was elected for the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA). Within one year, 71 schools had joined the organization. Today there are over 400 member schools.
1934 – The Porter County Courthouse in Valparaiso was severely damaged by fire. As flames rose through the 168-foot tall tower, city firemen fought the blaze in subzero temperatures. They were assisted by fire departments from Gary and La Porte. The building was repaired, but the tower was not restored.
1960 – The Ben Davis High School band presented a concert on Monument Circle to raise funds to go to Washington, D.C., to march in the inaugural parade for President John F. Kennedy. The goal was met and the musicians traveled to the nation’s capital. The Indianapolis Star reported that the band “smartly uniformed in purple and white” was a hit with the crowd on inauguration day.