John Richard Walsh

John Richard Walsh (May 22, 1913 – January 23, 1975) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1949 to 1951. Over the course of a varied public career, he held legal, military, and statewide executive positions and participated actively in the legislative and political life of Indiana and the nation.

Walsh was born in Martinsville, Morgan County, Indiana, on May 22, 1913. He was educated in the Martinsville public schools, where he completed his primary and secondary education. Demonstrating an early interest in the law and public affairs, he enrolled at Indiana University Law School. He graduated in 1934, entering the legal profession at a time when the United States was still grappling with the effects of the Great Depression.

On July 27, 1934, Walsh was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law in his hometown of Martinsville. He quickly moved into public service at the local and state levels. From 1935 to 1936 he served as Morgan County attorney, representing the county’s legal interests. In 1941 he was appointed deputy attorney general for the state of Indiana, a position that expanded his responsibilities to statewide legal matters and gave him experience in the administration of state law.

With the onset of American involvement in World War II, Walsh entered military service. He served in the United States Army with the Thirty-fifth Infantry Division from May 18, 1942, until his discharge as a technical sergeant on June 15, 1943. After leaving the Army, he returned to Indiana in 1943 and resumed the practice of law, this time in Anderson, Madison County. He continued to build his legal and public-service credentials, serving as chief deputy prosecuting attorney of Madison County in 1945 and 1946, and as probate commissioner for the Madison County Circuit Court in 1948.

Walsh was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-first Congress, representing Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives from January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1951. His single term in Congress coincided with a significant period in American history, marked by the early Cold War, postwar economic adjustment, and the beginning of U.S. involvement in global containment policy. As a member of the Democratic Party representing Indiana, he contributed to the legislative process, participated in the democratic governance of the country, and represented the interests of his constituents in national debates. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1950 and again for election in 1954 to the Eighty-fourth Congress, after which he returned full-time to his legal practice in Anderson.

In addition to his legal and congressional work, Walsh pursued a range of business and political roles in the years following his service in the House. He served as a member of the board of directors and as secretary-treasurer of the State Security Life Insurance Company from 1953 to 1958, combining legal expertise with corporate governance and financial oversight. His prominence in state Democratic politics continued to grow, and he was elected Secretary of State of Indiana, serving from December 1, 1958, to November 30, 1960. In that statewide executive office, he oversaw elections administration and various corporate and official records functions. In 1960 he further demonstrated his standing in the party by serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Walsh remained active in local government and legal affairs in the 1960s. He served as county attorney of Madison County from 1964 to 1965, advising county officials and representing the county in legal matters. Throughout these years he continued to reside in Anderson, maintaining his law practice and his involvement in civic and political life.

John Richard Walsh lived in Anderson, Indiana, until his death there on January 23, 1975. He was interred in Greenlawn Cemetery in his hometown of Martinsville, Indiana, closing a life that had been rooted in his native state and marked by service at the local, state, and national levels.