U.S. House of Representatives
Indiana, 5th Congressional District, 1959-68
Indiana, 4th Congressional District, 1971-76
Biographical note:
John Edward Roush was born September 12, 1920 and elected to the Indiana General Assembly in 1949, the year he received his law degree. After serving in World War II and as the Huntington County prosecuting attorney, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 5th district in 1958, serving 10 years before his defeat in 1968. Returning in 1971 as representative from the 4th district, he served another six years before his defeat in 1976. He served on the Space and Aeronautics and Government Operations Committees during his first tenure and on the Appropriations Committee during his second tenure. He was active in establishment of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the creation of the 911 emergency communication system
Committee Service:
View a full listing of Roush's committee and subcommittee service by Congress.
The Collection (164 linear feet):
The portion of the Roush collection relating to his tenure (1959-68) as representative of Indiana's 5th district consists mainly of legislative and other correspondence from both his Washington and district offices, with some office files included. The records for his tenure as representative of the 4th district (1971-76) consist of 50 linear feet of legislative correspondence, 2.5 linear feet related to his Appropriations Committee work, 2.5 linear feet relating to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, 2.5 linear feet relating to the "911" emergency communications network, a full run of press releases, speeches and testimony, and materials related to technology utilization and the proposed extension of the west front of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.
Status of the Collection:
As of January 2023, the Legislative Files (Administrative, Working, and Correspondence), Indiana Files, and Office Files (Administration and Correspondence) have been processed for the 86th Congress (1959-1960), the 87th Congress (1961-1962), the first session of the 88th Congress (1963), and the 90th Congress (1967-1968). These and files related to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and to the 911 Emergency Telephone Number are available to researchers through a finding aid in Archives Online at Indiana University.
Researcher Access:
Research use is possible with adequate advance notice. Contact congpprs@indiana.edu.
Additional Resources on Roush:
Oral history interviews with Roush, one of his supporters, and a former staff member were done in 1969 and are accessible through the Center for the Study of History and Memory at Indiana University.
Location: