George Littrell Denny

(July 7, 1878-Sept. 29, 1958). A native of Indianapolis and the son of Caleb S. Denny, former three-time mayor of the city, George Denny graduated from Princeton University in 1900 and Indiana University’s School of Law in 1902. Denny specialized in corporate and tax cases, and he represented Eli Lilly and Company for many years.

From 1910 to 1914, Denny served on the Indianapolis City Council. In 1934, he ran, unsuccessfully, as the Republican Party candidate for mayor, and he chaired the Republican state platform committee from 1938 to 1948. In 1939, he became the president of the Indianapolis Board of Trade. Appointed City Controller of Indianapolis in April 1947, Denny became the city’s chief executive following Mayor Robert H. Tyndall’s death in July of that year. Upon leaving office, Denny made an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 1948. In 1951, he became the inheritance tax administrator of the Indiana Department of Revenue.

In 1948, Denny was a delegate to the Republican national convention. He served as a director of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, a governor of the Society of Indiana Pioneers, and as both trustee and president of the Boys Club of Indianapolis (see Boys and Girls Clubs).

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