Edgar Doud Whitcomb (November 6, 1917 – February 4, 2016) was an American attorney, writer and politician, who served as the 43rd governor of Indiana.

Whitcomb found himself opposed by speaker of the house Otis R. Bowen on a number of measures and for control of the party leadership.

Despite his opposition, Whitcomb was able to increase tax revenue by 8% without raising tax rates through improved collection and auditing techniques, created a panel of business leaders to recommend governmental reforms aimed at increasing efficiency that allowed the state to reduce its workforce by 10% and fought for a number of budgetary saving measures primarily through reducing state employee wages and spending in non-essential areas.

He entered Indiana University in 1939 to study law, but quit school to join the military at the outbreak of World War II.

[2] One of his children, his daughter Trish, lost a race for the Indiana House of Representatives in the November 5, 2024 elections, where she ran as a democrat.

He was first elected to public office in 1950, serving for three years in the Indiana State Senate before resigning to begin his law practice.

[4][6] At the 1968 Republican state convention, Whitcomb competed to win the nomination for governor against Indiana House of Representatives minority leader Otis R. Bowen and future Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz.

Whitcomb's opponent in the general election was Democratic candidate Robert L. Rock, and the campaign focused largely on tax policy and national issues.

[4][8] During his term, the state adopted a new districting system that for the first time granted more seats in the Indiana General Assembly to urban areas.

Whitcomb found himself in party with the rural Republicans, while Bowen, who had become speaker of the house, grew to become a leader among the urban members.

[9] The Indianapolis Star, under the front-page banner "Snyder to Head State GOP" on Nov 25,[10] chronicled the Whitcomb political disaster.

Bowen, meanwhile, had been able to install a number of people in key county leadership positions that effectively gave his wing of the party real control.

Whitcomb requested that General Assembly pass an act repealing all laws that were enacted because of the Supreme Court decision, some of which were nearly a century old.

[8] Indiana's income had been problematic in the two decades preceding Whitcomb's term and had necessitated major tax increases to fund the growing budget.

Additional savings were realized when because of the vastly improved government efficiency, less staff was needed to complete the work allowing the state to cut its workforce by 10%.

[12] Whitcomb's cost savings plans were strongly opposed by the state teachers’ union, Democrats and a large part of the urban Republicans aggregate.

[12] In 1976, Whitcomb sought the Republican nomination to the United States Senate, but was defeated in the primary by Indianapolis Mayor Richard Lugar.

[4] He served several years as the director of the Mid American World Trade Association and took a job for a media company based in Indianapolis and spent time traveling the United States setting up a network of FM radio stations.