Former Indiana Democratic leader St. Angelo dies at 84

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Indiana and national Democratic Party leader Gordon St. Angelo has died at age 84.

Flanker and Buchanan Funeral Centers says St. Angelo died Tuesday at an Indianapolis hospital.

St. Angelo started a decade as state Democratic chairman in 1964 after running Roger Branigin’s successful campaign for governor. He also played major campaign roles for Sens. Birch Bayh and Vance Hartke.

St. Angelo was the party’s deputy national chairman in 1968 and narrowly lost a bid for national chairman in 1973.

Marion County Democratic chairman Ed Treacy tells The Indianapolis Star that St. Angelo ran a clothing store in his southern Indiana hometown Huntingburg when he became active in John Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign.

He later was an executive for the Indianapolis-based Friedman Foundation and the Lilly Endowment.