Kenneth S. Wherry

Kenneth S. Wherry

Kenneth Spicer Wherry (born February 28, 1892 in Liberty , Gage County , Nebraska , †  November 2, 1951 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) who represented the state of Nebraska in the US Senate .

Kenneth Wherry began attending public schools to study at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln , which he graduated in 1914. From 1915 to 1916 he continued his education at Harvard before he joined the Flying Corps of the US Navy after the United States entered World War I , in which he served from 1917 to 1918.

After the end of his military service, Wherry worked in various business fields. He sold cars and furniture, tried his hand at ranching, and eventually studied law , after which he was inducted into the bar and began practicing in Pawnee City . In this place he was also a member of the city council from 1927 to 1929; from 1929 to 1931 and from 1938 to 1943 he served as mayor of Pawnee City. Between 1929 and 1932 he was also a member of the Nebraska Senate .

In 1932, Wherry ran for governor of Nebraska. However, he was defeated by the Democratic incumbent Charles Bryan . His first attempt to be elected to the US Senate was also unsuccessful in 1934. In 1942 - in the meantime he had become director of the Republican National Committee for the western area of ​​the United States - he made a second attempt and this time prevailed against the long-time incumbent George W. Norris , whom he replaced on January 3, 1943.

In the Senate, Wherry served as whip of the Republican faction from 1944 to 1949 . In 1948 he was re-elected; then he moved to the post of minority leader , which he held until his death in 1951. At times he also chaired the Special Committee on Problems of Small Business . In 1949 he managed to secure the appointment of John A. Eddy to the US Naval Academy . who subsequently made important contributions in the field of astronomy and astrophysics .

Web links

• Kenneth S. Wherry in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Kenneth S. Wherry in the database of Find a Grave (English)