George N. Craig

George N. Craig
39th Governor of Indiana
In office January 12, 1953 – January 14, 1957
Lieutenant	Harold W. Handley
Preceded by	Henry F. Schricker
Succeeded by	Harold W. Handley
National Commander of The American Legion
In office 1949 – 1950
Preceded by	S. Perry Brown
Succeeded by	Erle Cocke, Jr.
Personal details
Born	George North Craig August 6, 1909 Brazil, Indiana, U.S.
Died	December 17, 1992(1992-12-17) (aged 83) Brazil, Indiana, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Kathryn L. Heiliger
Alma mater	Indiana University
Profession	Politician, lawyer
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1941–1946
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Bronze Star Medal (OLC) Croix de Guerre Legion of Honor

George North Craig (August 6, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 39th governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1953 until 1957. A lawyer and veteran of World War II who was promoted to serve in a division command staff, Craig first gained popularity in the state as National Commander of The American Legion. He was a political outsider when he ran for governor and was at odds with more conservative party leadership during his time in office. Although he made significant reforms, his term ended with a high-profile bribery scandal when it was found that several high-level state employees had been accepting bribes to influence their decision in assigning construction contracts. Craig was personally uninvolved in the scandal but was held responsible for it by the public, ending his political career.

At odds with party leaders, and angered by the bribery scandal, he left the state after his term and moved to Virginia where he opened a law office and later became president of an automotive company. After a decade he returned to Indiana where he retired from public life but resumed activity in the Republican Party as a political adviser until his death in 1992.