Morgan County Profiles

Oscar G. Couch
Mooresville Banker & Legislator

     Oscar Couch, who will be primarily remembered by many Mooresvillians as a banker, also served three terms in the House of Representatives and served in other public positions of importance.
     Born in Tipton County in 1888 he came to Morgan County as a schoolteacher in his late '20s. Right after World War I, he became manager of the Comer-Scearce Lumber Company, located in Maywood and Plainfield. When Citizens Bank was locally reorganized in 1931, Couch became its principal operating officer as Cashier, where he remained several years.
     He was elected to the Mooresville School Board, and as Mooresville Town Treasurer, prior to his election to the legislature in 1936. During his second and third terms, he chaired the House Committee on Banks and Trust Companies. Active in the Mooresville Christian Church, he was also a Mason and prominent in the Mooresville Lions Club.
     He served as Treasurer of the Indiana Bankers Association and was, naturally, a prime ally of the smaller banks, who in those days sought, and received, the protection of the Indiana General Assembly.
     Oscar and Inez Couch had three children, two sons and a daughter. Representative Couch died in 1964, and is buried in Mooresville.

By Ken Griffin

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