Edward F. Arn
Edward Ferdinand Arn was the 32nd Governor of Kansas from 1951 to 1955.Biography
Arn grew up in Kansas City, Kansas and attended Kansas City Junior College, the University of Kansas, and the Kansas City School of Law. He was married twice - to Marcella Ruth Tillmans on October 28, 1933 and to Catherine Phillipi Ross. He had two children.Career
Arn practiced law in Wichita, Kansas until he enlisted in the U. S. Navy. He served as a lieutenant aboard an aircraft carrier that fought in Iwo Jima.
Returning to his law practice, Arn became active in local politics and served as Chairman of the Wyandotte County Republicans. From 1947 to 1949, he served as Attorney General of Kansas, and as an Associate Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court from 1949 to 1951.
Arn won the Republican gubernatorial nomination was elected Governor of Kansas in 1950, re-elected in 1952, and served from 1951 to 1955. This made him the first Governor of Kansas born in the 20th century. During his tenure, the Kansas Turnpike Authority was established, workman's compensation benefits were improved, the Kansas Veteran's Commission was formed, a state department of Administration was organized, and the destructive floods of 1951 were dealt with.
Arn left office on January 10, 1955 and returned to Wichita to practice law. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1960. He ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate in 1962.Death
Arn died in a hospital in Wichita, Kansas on January 22, 1998 and is interred at the Old Mission Chapel Mausoleum in Wichita.
