1865 – Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton boarded a train to go to ceremonies dedicating the cemetery at Gettysburg, Pa. Two days later, he was on the speaker’s platform sitting behind President Abraham Lincoln as Lincoln gave what has become one of the most famous speeches in history. Morton accompanied the President on the return train to Washington.
1880 – Indiana Governor James D. Williams died in office. Since the old Statehouse had been demolished and the new one was just starting construction, the body of the Governor lay in state at the Marion County Courthouse. The remaining two months of the Governor’s term were served by Lieutenant Governor Isaac Gray.
1906 – The John Herron Art Institute moved into its new building on the corner of 16th and Pennsylvania in Indianapolis. The site was once the home of Hoosier artist T. C. Steele. The Indianapolis Star reported that the institute was “filled with some of the highest examples of pictures, sculptures, textiles, etchings, and engravings to be found in the public and private collections in America.” The building is now home to Herron High School.
1919 – Members of the Women’s Franchise League of Indiana presented Lieutenant Governor Edgar D. Bush with petitions urging the legislature to adopt the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. They had collected over 86,000 signatures in support of the amendment which granted women the right to vote. Lieutenant Governor Bush pledged his support and, indeed, the state adopted the measure two months later.
1925 – The first “Old Oaken Bucket” football game was played between Purdue and Indiana Universities. The two teams were already long-time rivals when a bucket from a well on a farm in Southern Indiana was chosen as a suitable trophy. The first bucket game, on Nov. 21, 1925, ended in a 0-0 deadlock. In the years since, Purdue has won the trophy 60 times compared to IU’s 31, with three ties. The next bucket contest is Nov. 30.
1963 – President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. He had been to Indiana the previous year to help Birch Bayh in his campaign for the United States Senate. Indiana Governor Matt Welsh and his wife Virginia traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the funeral for the fallen President.