Robert Lee Rock (September 8, 1927 – January 9, 2013) was an American politician who served as the Lieutenant Governor of Indiana from 1965 to 1969 and as the Mayor of Anderson, Indiana, from 1972 to 1980. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Indiana in 1968, but lost to Republican Edgar Whitcomb.
Early life Born in Alexandria, Indiana, Rock grew up in Anderson, Indiana, where he graduated from Anderson High School in 1945. Shortly after starting college at Indiana University, he reported for duty in the United States Navy in October 1945 and became a hospital corpsman at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California."Local Youths are Called into Navy", Anderson Daily Bulletin, Anderson, Indiana, volume 60, number 184, October 26, 1945, page 19. After serving in the navy, he went back to college and graduated from Indiana University School of Business in Bloomington with a degree in business in 1951."Robert L. Rock Named District Representative", Anderson Daily Bulletin, Anderson, Indiana, volume 67, number 202, November 13, 1951, page 12. Note, article contains photograph of Rock. 'Mayor Robert L. Rock Dies at 85,' Baylee Pulliam, The Herald Bulletin, January 9, 2013
Political career In 1954, at the age of 26, Rock was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives as a Democrat serving in the 1955, 1959, 1961, and 1963 sessions. Then he served as Lieutenant Governor of Indiana from 1965 to 1969. In 1968, Rock won the Democratic nomination for Governor of Indiana, but lost the general election to Republican Secretary of State Edgar Whitcomb. He later served as Mayor of Anderson, Indiana from 1972 to 1980, where he established the Anderson Housing Authority Commission and the City of Anderson Transportation System (CATS).
Personal life In 1956, he married Mary Jo Ferguson with whom he had four children and later eight grandchildren.
Death Rock died in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on January 9, 2013, at the age of 85.Former Lt. Governor Rock Dies At 85 Obituary for Robert L. RockObituary for Robert L. Rock
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