Political

Ed Whitcomb is a member of the Republican Party.  He was first elected to public office in 1950, serving for three years in the Indiana State Senate before resigning to begin his law practice. He set up a successful law firm in North Vernon, Indiana.  He moved his practice in later years, having offices in both Seymour and Indianapolis.

In 1966, Whitcomb was elected to serve as Indiana Secretary of State, a position he used to springboard for his political career. He was appointed by the Governor of Indiana to serve on Great Lakes Compact Commission, a commission with representatives from the Great Lake states who oversaw joint projects for preserving and developing the Great Lakes.

At the 1968 Republican state convention, Ed competed to win the nomination for governor against Indiana House of Representatives minority leader Otis R. Bowen and future Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz. Backed by the party leaders of several large counties, Ed  overcame his opposition to secure the nomination.

Whitcomb’s opponent in the general election was Democrat candidate Robert L. Rock, and the campaign focused largely on tax policy and national issues. Whitcomb was able to successfully advocate the passage of a number of bills to expand the state highway system, to repeal laws passed during his predecessors’ terms that distributed funds to the county governments, and a computerization of the state’s criminal records and its Bureau of Motor Vehicles.