edged on violence and order was restored only after Branch beat his gavel so hard on the podium that he broke both the podium and the gavel, causing the chamber to burst into laughter. Governor Governor Warren T. McCray had been having a behind the scenes battle with the Indiana Ku Klux Klan and became involved in questionable loan transactions, which the Klan exposed as a scandal to force him out of office. McCray was convicted of mail fraud and sentenced to ten years in prison, forcing him to leave office on April 30, 1924. The same day, Branch was sworn in as governor. A close friend of McCray, he cried while taking the oath of office and later said that everything was so "sudden and surprising." Branch's term was brief, and he focused on continuing the projects and reforms McCray had begun, including expanding the state highway system, completing the new state prison, and expanding the school for the blind. He oversaw the completion of the Riley Hospital for Children. A month after taking office, a boxing match was held in Michigan City. Prize fighting was illegal in Indiana, and protesters demanded that for the governor to shut down the match. Branch secretly ordered the militia mobilized and put on standby, and sent a general to attend the match to see if he could detect any gambling going on. The general reported that nothing of note happened, and the match was held without incident. Later life After his term as governor ended, he retired to Martinsville, where he practiced law and managed his business interests as President of the Branch Grain and Seed Company and a major stockholder in the Martinsville Trust Company. He also owned several large farms in Morgan County. In 1929, he was appointed by Governor Harry G. Leslie to manage the state armory, a post he held until his death from a heart attack on February 23, 1932. He is buried in the Hilldale Cemetery. See also List of governors of Indiana References Notes Bibliography Justin E. Walsh et al. (eds), Biographical Directory of the Indiana General Assembly, v. 2 (1900–1984), (Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Bureau, 1984), p. 50. External links Indiana Historical Bureau: Biography and portrait Indiana Historical Bureau, "Emmett Forest Branch: Short Term Governor, Long Term Proponent for the People" National Association of Governors 1874 births 1932 deaths People from Martinsville, Indiana Indiana University