Article of the day for January 2, 2018
The Article of the day for January 2, 2018 is Lawrence Wetherby.
Lawrence Wetherby (January 2, 1908 – March 27, 1994) was a lieutenant governor (1947–1950) and governor (1950–1955) of the US state of Kentucky. As governor, he helped increase funding for education, government benefits, road construction, and industrial diversification. He endorsed the Supreme Court's 1954 desegregation order in the case of Brown v. Board of Education and appointed a biracial commission to oversee the successful integration of the state's schools. As chair of the Southern Governors Conference in 1954 and 1955, he encouraged other southern governors to accept and implement desegregation. Wetherby was limited to one term by the state constitution. His successor, fellow Democrat A. B. "Happy" Chandler, failed to support his attempt in 1956 to succeed Alben Barkley in the US Senate, and he lost to Republican John Sherman Cooper. From 1964 to 1966, Wetherby served on a commission charged with revising the state constitution, and in 1966 he was elected to the Kentucky Senate, where he provided leadership in drafting the state budget. After retiring from politics, he worked as an engineering consultant.
Lawrence Wetherby (January 2, 1908 – March 27, 1994) was a lieutenant governor (1947–1950) and governor (1950–1955) of the US state of Kentucky. As governor, he helped increase funding for education, government benefits, road construction, and industrial diversification. He endorsed the Supreme Court's 1954 desegregation order in the case of Brown v. Board of Education and appointed a biracial commission to oversee the successful integration of the state's schools. As chair of the Southern Governors Conference in 1954 and 1955, he encouraged other southern governors to accept and implement desegregation. Wetherby was limited to one term by the state constitution. His successor, fellow Democrat A. B. "Happy" Chandler, failed to support his attempt in 1956 to succeed Alben Barkley in the US Senate, and he lost to Republican John Sherman Cooper. From 1964 to 1966, Wetherby served on a commission charged with revising the state constitution, and in 1966 he was elected to the Kentucky Senate, where he provided leadership in drafting the state budget. After retiring from politics, he worked as an engineering consultant.
