Joseph Eugene Kernan III (1946 - 2020)

Born 8 Apr 1946 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA

Ancestors

Died 29 Jul 2020 at age 74 in South Bend, St.Joseph County, Indiana, USA

Preceded by
Frank O'Bannon

48th Governor of Indiana
2003-2005

Succeeded by
Mitch Daniels

Biography

Joe Kernan III is Notable.

Joseph Eugene Kernan III was an American businessman and Democratic politician who served as the 48th governor of Indiana from 2003 to 2005.

Joseph "Joe" Eugene Kernan, III was born on 09 April 1946 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA and was the eldest of nine children born to Marian (Powers) and Joseph E. Kernan, Jr. (1923-2008).

About 1956 his family moved from Chicago to South Bend, Indiana, USA and he graduated there from St. Joseph's High School.

In 1968 he graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Government. He had also played on the baseball team.

In 1969 he joined the Navy as a naval aviator. While on a reconnaissance mission during the Vietnam War, he was shot down by enemy forces and taken prisoner on 07 May1972. He was released 11 months later and continued on active duty through to December 1974.

Upon his return, he married his wife, Maggie, and in 1975 he began a business career.

From 1980 to 1984 he served as Comptroller for the City of South Bend.

When he entered politics, Kernan, a Democrat, won three elections to serve as mayor of South Bend, and held office from 1988 to 1997.

In 1996, he was asked to run as Lt. Governor with Frank O'Bannon. They won, and Kernan served as the 47th Lieutenant-Governor of Indiana following the elections of 1996 and 2000. He was sworn-in by his own father.

On 13 Sep 2003, he became the 48th Governor of Indiana after O'Bannon suffered a fatal stroke and served for 16 months until 2005, when Republican Mitch Daniels tool office as Governor.

In January 2005 Kernan returned to private life. In 2006, he moved back to South Bend and retired from politics.

From 2005 to 2011 he was president and managing investor of the South Bend Silver Hawks baseball club. It was sold and later became the South Bend Cubs, a minor league team of the Midwest League, affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

Joe Kernan died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on 29 July 2020 at a care facility in South Bend.

On 17 March 2023, Kernan was honored with a memorial bust, to be displayed in the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis.^[1] The date was chosen as a nod to Kernan's Irish heritage and unveiled to the sounds of bagpipes playing.^[1]

About 200 family and friends attended the unveiling, which provided an opportunity for those who knew Joe to reminisce.^[1]

The current, Governor, Eric Holcomb, keeps the official portrait of Kernan in his personal office, along with that of former Governor Edgar Whitcomb.^[1] Both men served overseas in wartime: Kernan was a POW in Vietnam. Whitcomb escaped a Japanese prison camp in World War II.^[1] Other official portraits are on display in the office lobby.

Holcomb also noted that Kernan insisted on being called "Joe," and he could "connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime."^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Online News Article: "Late Indiana Gov. Kernan honored with Statehouse sculpture", Associated Press, 17 March 2023. APNews.com: https://apnews.com/article/indiana-governor-joe-kernan-bust-fa627a3466422fdbff49dc6dcad1167e

• Joe E. Kernan on Wikipedia