Robert L. Rock
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| birth_name =
| name = Robert L. Rock
| image name =
| order = 30th
| office = Mayor of Anderson, Indiana
| term_start = 1972
| term_end = 1980
| predecessor = J. Ed Flanagan
| successor = Thomas R. McMahan
| order1 = 50th
| office1 = Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
| term_start1 = January 11, 1965
| term_end1 = January 13, 1969
| governor1 = Roger D. Branigin
| predecessor1 = Richard O. Ristine
| successor1 = Richard E. Folz
| office2 = Member of the
Indiana House of Representatives
from Madison County
| term_start2 = November 5, 1958
| term_end2 = November 4, 1964
| predecessor2 = Multi-member districthttp://www.capitolandwashington.com/offices/all-offices/h48/ {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}
| successor2 = Multi-member district
| term_start3 = November 3, 1954
| term_end3 = November 7, 1956
| predecessor3 = Multi-member district
| successor3 = Multi-member district
| party = Democratic
| birth_date = {{birth date|1927|9|8}}
| birth_place = Alexandria, Indiana, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2013|1|9|1927|9|8}}
| death_place = Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
| alma_mater = Indiana University
| occupation = Politician
| spouse = {{Marriage|Mary Jo Ferguson|1956}}
| children = Four
}}
Robert L. 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. He served in the United States Navy during World War II as a hospital corpsman at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego, California. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in business in 1951.'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.[http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/indiana/former-lt-gov-rock-dies-at-85 Former Lt. Governor Rock Dies At 85] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112043419/http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/indiana/former-lt-gov-rock-dies-at-85 |date=2013-01-12 }}
[http://heraldbulletin.com/local/x964869645/Former-Anderson-mayor-Robert-L-Rock-dies-at-85 Obituary for Robert L. Rock][http://heraldbulletin.com/obituaries/x964872089/Robert-L-Rock Obituary for Robert L. Rock]
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=Roger D. Branigin}}
{{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Governor of Indiana|years=1968}}
{{s-aft|after=Matthew E. Welsh}}
{{s-off}}
{{Succession box|title=Lieutenant Governor of Indiana|before=Richard O. Ristine|after=Richard E. Folz|years=1965{{spaced ndash}}1969}}
{{s-end}}
{{IndianaLtGovernors}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rock, Robert L.}}
Category:Politicians from Anderson, Indiana
Category:Indiana University alumni
Category:Mayors of places in Indiana
Category:Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives
Category:Lieutenant governors of Indiana
Category:People from Alexandria, Indiana
Category:Military personnel from Indiana
Category:20th-century members of the Indiana General Assembly
{{Indiana-politician-stub}}