Fred Purnell

U.S. Representative
Born
October 25, 1882
Died
October 21, 1939
Age at death
56
Home state
Indiana
Party
Republican
On the ballot
1916–1930
8-0
RecordWin–Loss
Total Popular Votes
Purnell349,432
Opponents302,172
8
Elections run

Between 1916 and 1930, Fred Purnell ran in 8 U.S. House elections, winning all 8. Purnell's biggest single-election total was 56,465 votes, in the 1920 U.S. House election in Indiana's District 9. Purnell's closest win came in the 1930 U.S. House election in Indiana's District 9, decided by 335 votes.

Browse every U.S. House race in Indiana's District 9 or all 1930 U.S. House races.

How many votes has Fred Purnell received?

Fred Purnell has received 349,432 popular votes across 8 U.S. elections, with a career record of 8–0.

Election history

Fred Purnell’s election history
YearOfficeResultVotesOpponent(s)
1930U.S. HouseIndianaWon43,68150.19%Harry L Matlock
1928U.S. HouseIndianaWon53,99857.23%George L Mackintosh
1926U.S. HouseIndianaWon43,89152.57%Roy W Adney
1924U.S. HouseIndianaWon51,28054.48%Cyrus E Davis
William L McGaw
1922U.S. HouseIndianaWon46,91951.54%George Lee Moffett
John Leese
1920U.S. HouseIndianaWon56,46555.94%Ben M Scifres
John E Broshr
1918U.S. HouseIndianaWon25,48655.91%George S Howard V
John E Brashear

James Horn
1916U.S. HouseIndianaWon27,71250.35%David F Maish
G Stanley West

John C Kahlenbeck

John W Whicken
Identity & sources. Identity verified against the Congressional Bioguide (P000573) and Wikidata (Q1452490). Election results come from official certified totals and the MIT Election Data and Science Lab; see methodology.
Cite this profile. PolitiFinder, “Fred Purnell: election history & vote totals.” https://politifinder.com/p/fred-purnell. Accessed [date].

Compiled by PolitiFinder. Election results from official certified sources and the MIT Election Lab. See Data & sources and methodology. Data last verified July 28, 2026.