William H. Hudnut III
Hudnut's congressional portrait (1973)
45thMayor of Indianapolis
In office January 1, 1976 – January 1, 1992
Preceded by	Richard Lugar
Succeeded by	Stephen Goldsmith
Mayor ofChevy Chase, Maryland
In office May 4, 2004[1] – May 2, 2006
Preceded by	Mier Wolf[2]
Succeeded by	Linna M. Barnes
55th President of theNational League of Cities
In office 1981[3]
Preceded by	Jessie M. Rattley
Succeeded by	Ferd L. Harrison
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIndiana's11th district
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975
Preceded by	Andrew Jacobs Jr.
Succeeded by	Andrew Jacobs Jr.
Personal details
Born	William Herbert Hudnut III (1932-10-17)October 17, 1932 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Died	December 18, 2016(2016-12-18) (aged 84) Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S.
Party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Anne Goodyear Susan Greer Rice Beverly Guidara
Children	6
Alma mater	Princeton University (AB) Union Theological Seminary (BD)
Occupation	minister, author

William Herbert Hudnut III (October 17, 1932 – December 18, 2016) was an American politician, author, and minister who served asthe mayor ofIndianapolis for four terms (from 1976 to 1992); the mayor ofChevy Chase, Maryland for one term (from 2004 to 2006); and a member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromIndiana for one term (from 1973 to 1975). ARepublican, his four terms as mayor of Indianapolis made him the city's longest-serving mayor.

Hudnut was born inCincinnati, Ohio, on October 17, 1932. He attended theDarrow School inNew Lebanon, New York, and graduated fromPrinceton University in 1954 with an A.B. in history and was elected toPhi Beta Kappa.^[4] As part of his undergraduate degree, Hudnut completed a senior thesis titled "Samuel Stanhope Smith: Enlightened Conservative."^[5] He earned aMaster's Degree in Theology from theUnion Theological Seminary in the City of New York,^[1] from which he graduatedsumma cum laude^[6] and was ordained a clergyman in 1957 inRochester, New York.^[1]

Hudnut became an ordained minister in thePresbyterian Church and moved toIndianapolis to serve as the senior pastor ofSecond Presbyterian Church from 1963 to 1972.^[6] He led the congregation with a moderate but active stance through the social issues of the 1960s, including theVietnam War and race relations.^[7] He had previously served churches inBuffalo, New York, andAnnapolis, Maryland.

Hudnut won the1972 Republicanprimary forIndiana's 11th congressional district, defeatingDan Burton (who would years later win election to the House).^[8] Hudnut won the general election, unseating four-term CongressmanAndrew Jacobs, Jr.^[4]

Hudnut only served a single term (during the93rd United States Congress),^[4] losing re-election to Jacobs in1974.^[1] During his term in Congress, Hudnut sponsored seventeen bills that became law.^[6][4] He was critical of what he believed were high levels of federal spending and taxation, and received a "Watchdog of the Treasury" for his scrutiny towards this. He also received an award from theNational Association of Mental Health in recognition of his support formental health-related bills.^[6]

After leaving congress in 1975, Hudnut took a job as a professor atIndiana Central University and began campaigning for the Republican nomination formayor of Indianapolis in thatyear's election.^[6] The incumbent mayor, fellow RepublicanRichard Lugar (who had been the architect of theUnigov legislation that merged the government structures of Indianapolis andMarion County years earlier) was retiring as mayor in order to run forU.S. Senate in1976, making the 1975 mayoral election an open-race.^[9] Hudnut was nominated, and was elected in the general election againstDemocratic nomineeRobert V. Welch.^[6] He wonlandslide victories in1979 (against Democratic nomineePaul Cantwell),1983 (against Democratic nominee John J. Sullivan), and1987 (against Democratic nominee J. Bradford Senden).^[10]

Hudnut's stated goal upon taking office was to change the city from "India-NO-place" to "India-SHOW-place."^[9] His mayorship was defined by economic development indowntown Indianapolis, business, construction, and sports.^{[citation needed]} His policies were entrepreneurial, and he hoped to attract economic development by taking risks with raising taxes and issuing bonds. He opposed deficit spending and kept the city's bond rating at AAA.^[9] He aimed for job growth, a widened tax base, and law and order. The city spent large amounts on tax incentives, infrastructure improvements, and development projects to attract business to the downtown area.^{[citation needed]} Over the sixteen years as mayor, more than 30 major building projects took place downtown, including renovations and expansions toMonument Circle,Indianapolis Union Station, theIndiana University School of Medicine, and theIndiana Convention Center. Many office buildings were constructed, and companies such asEli Lilly and American United Life committed to staying in Indianapolis.^[9]

During his mayoralty, Indianapolis became known as the "Amateur Sports Capital of the World", due in part to Hudnut's efforts at marketing the city. While mayor, Indianapolis held the1987 Pan American Games and the 1982National Sports Festival. Hudnut formed the Indiana Sports Corporation, which directed sporting projects such as theIndianapolis Tennis Center, theMajor Taylor Velodrome, and theIUPUI Natatorium.^[9] In 1980, Hudnut formed a committee on building a new stadium to attract aNational Football League team.^[11] With the newly builtHoosier Dome and other incentives, he secretly negotiated withBaltimore Colts ownerRobert Irsay to bring the team to Indianapolis fromBaltimore. On March 29, 1984, he organized theteam's middle-of-the-night departure to Indianapolis withMayflower moving vans, and he called it "one of the greatest days in the history of this city".^[12] He also made efforts to approach local groups in the city to see if they could help purchase the strugglingIndiana Pacers so they would not be sold to outside interests, which was successful in getting theSimon brothers to buy the team in April 1983.^[13]

Hudnut was president of theNational League of Cities in 1981,^[3] and was a member of the board for over twenty years.^[4] In 1988, Hudnut was namedCity & State magazine's Nation's Most Valuable Public Official. In 1985, he earned the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, and in 1986, aWoodrow Wilson Award for Public Service.^[4] He was a Republicanpresidential elector for the1980 presidential election.^[14]

In 1990, Hudnut ran forIndiana Secretary of State, but lost toJoe Hogsett. He chose not to run for a fifth term as mayor in1991.^[9]

In December 2014, Hudnut returned to Indianapolis for the unveiling of the"Mayor Bill" statue on the corner of Maryland Street and Capitol Avenue.^[15]

Hudnut served at theHudson Institute in Indianapolis from 1992 to 1994, and was president of theCivic Federation in Chicago from 1994 to 1996.^[1] He held the Joseph C. Canizaro Chair for Public Policy for theUrban Land Institute in Washington, D.C.,^[16] from 1996 to 2010. He then taught at the School of Continuing Studies atGeorgetown University in the MPS Real Estate Program, of which he became executive director.

In 2004, Hudnut took office as the mayor of thetown of Chevy Chase, Maryland, an office he held until 2006.^[1]

In 2015, Hudnut was among five current and former mayors to oppose Indiana'sReligious Freedom Restoration Act, arguing that it would undo the efforts of making Indianapolis an "inclusive, caring, and hospitable city".^[17]

Hudnut was married three times. His first marriage was to Anne Goodyear (1933–2024),^[18] granddaughter ofAnson Conger Goodyear (1877–1964).^[19] Before their divorce in 1974,^[20] the couple had five children, four sons and a daughter.^{[21][22][23][24][25][26]} On December 14, 1974, he married for a second time to Susan Greer Rice (1934–2018),^[27][28] a real estate agent. They divorced in 1988.^[29] In 1989, his third and final marriage was to Beverly Guidara (1959–2024),^[30] his former press secretary.^[29] They had a son.^[22][31]

Hudnut was a member ofTau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.^[32]

Hudnut received honorary degrees from 13 colleges and universities.^{[citation needed]} In 1974, he became a Freemason in Irvington Lodge No. 666, which was later absorbed by Prospect Lodge 714.^[33] He was also a member of theAntelope Club.^[34]

In March 2015, Hudnut announced that he hadcongestive heart failure andthroat cancer.^[15] Hudnut died on December 18, 2016, at the age of 84.^[35]

Hudnut authored five books:^[4]

• Minister Mayor, 1987, about his political and religious experiences
• The Hudnut Years in Indianapolis, 1976–1991, 1995, about city leadership
• Cities on the Rebound, 1998, an analysis of future successful cities
• Halfway to Everywhere, 2003, about America's best suburbs
• Changing Metropolitan America: Planning for a More Sustainable Future, 2008

• Bodenhamer, David J. (1994).The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Indiana University Press.ISBN 0-253-31222-1.

• United States Congress."William H. Hudnut III (id: H000906)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• William H. Hudnut, III Collection at the Digital Mayoral Archives, University of Indianapolis
• Appearances onC-SPAN

• 1932 births
• 2016 deaths
• American Presbyterian ministers
• Maryland Republicans
• Mayors of Indianapolis
• Mayors of places in Maryland
• Republican Party United States representatives from Indiana
• Politicians from Cincinnati
• Princeton University alumni
• Writers from Indiana
• Writers from Maryland
• Writers from Cincinnati
• Darrow School alumni
• Goodyear family (New York)
• 20th-century mayors of places in Indiana
• 21st-century mayors of places in Maryland
• 20th-century United States representatives
• People from Chevy Chase, Maryland
• Presidents of the National League of Cities

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