Emmett Forest Branch, a lifetime resident of Martinsville, graduated from Martinsville High School in 1891 and received an L.L.B. from Indiana University in 1896. He practiced law in Martinsville, served as a lieutenant in Company K during the Spanish-American War, and was colonel of Indiana’s 152nd Infantry in World War I. He later served as a state representative, Speaker of the House, lieutenant governor from 1921 to 1923, and the 31st Governor of Indiana from 1924 to 1925.