Earl Fredrick Landgrebe (January 21, 1916 – June 29, 1986) was an American politician and businessman who served as a Republican senator in the Indiana Senate and member of the United States House of Representatives. During the Watergate scandal he defended President Richard Nixon, which cost him his seat in the 1974 congressional election. In spite of his defense of Nixon during Watergate, Landgrebe was criticized throughout his House career by his primary opponents for not being supportive enough of Nixon, only voting with other Republicans slightly over 50% of the time, and for his frequent absences and nay votes in the state senate and House of Representatives. Early life Earl Fredrick Landgrebe was born on January 21, 1916, in Valparaiso, Indiana, to Benna Marie Broderman and Edward William Landgrebe, a grocery store owner who later served as Porter County's assessor. Landgrebe attended Wheeler High School near Valparaiso. He married Helen Lucille Field on July 12, 1936, and had two sons with her. On June 9, 1943, he founded a transportation business, Landgrebe Motor Transport, with one truck using $ in savings and would go on to grow his business to one hundred employees. In 1957, he was elected as president of Valparaiso's Chamber of commerce and was succeeded by Al Williamson following his election to the state senate in 1958. Career State Senate On March 21, 1958, Landgrebe filed to run in the Republican primary to succeed retiring incumbent John Wilson Van Ness for the Indiana Senate seat from Jasper County, Newton County, Porter County and Pulaski County and defeated Mayor John E. Wiggins and William A. Woodworth. In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Maurice Mason. During his tenure Landgrebe served on the Elections, Financial Institutions, Transportation, and Benevolent and Penal Institutions committees. In 1961, he introduced the bill to create the Indiana Port Authority to oversee the creation of seaports along Lake Michigan. During the 1960 presidential election, Landgrebe supported vice president Richard Nixon and on April 21, 1960, he was appointed as the Porter County chairman in the Indiana Committee for Nixon by Porter County Republican Chairman Bill Conover. In 1962, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Baker v. Carr that the 14th Amendment applied to state apportionment and that federal courts are open to lawsuits challenging state legislative districts leading to further lawsuits over redistricting. After Reynolds v. Sims the Indiana state legislature