Kenneth Wherry | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Wherry in 1940 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Senator fromNebraska | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 1943 – November 29, 1951 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | George W. Norris | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Fred Seaton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1892-02-28)February 28, 1892 Liberty, Nebraska, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | November 29, 1951(1951-11-29) (aged 59) Washington, D.C., U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Marjorie Colwell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 1 son 1 daughter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | University of Nebraska–Lincoln (BA) Harvard University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service |  United States Navy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1917–1918 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | Flying Corps | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | World War I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kenneth Spicer Wherry (February 28, 1892 – November 29, 1951) was an American businessman, attorney, and politician.[1] A member of theRepublican Party, he served as aU.S. senator fromNebraska from 1943 until his death in 1951; he was theminority leader for the last two years.
Wherry was the third of five children born inLiberty,Nebraska, to David Emery and Jessie (née Comstock) Wherry.[2] He received his early education at public schools inPawnee City, and graduated from theUniversity of Nebraska (where he was a member ofBeta Theta Pifraternity) in 1914.[3] From 1915 to 1916, he studied business administration atHarvard Business School.[2] DuringWorld War I, he served in theU.S. Navy Flying Corps (1917–18).[4]
Following his military service, Wherry began a business career selling automobiles, furniture, and livestock; he was also a licensedundertaker with offices in Nebraska and Kansas.[2] He also studied law and, after being admitted to the bar, entered private practice inPawnee City.[4]
Wherry entered politics as a member of Pawnee City'scity council, serving in 1927 and 1929.[3] He was themayor from 1929 to 1931, simultaneously serving as a member of thestate senate from 1929 to 1932.[3] Wherry was an unsuccessful candidate for theRepublican nomination forgovernor in1932 and forU.S. Senator in1934.[2]
In 1938, Wherry was again elected mayor of Pawnee City, serving until he left for Washington and the U.S. Senate.[3] He was chairman of theNebraska Republican Party from 1939 to 1942, and Western Director for theRepublican National Committee from 1941 to 1942.[4]
In1942, Wherry was elected to the U.S. Senate, unseating incumbentGeorge W. Norris. He was reelected in1948 and served until his death. He served as Republican whip from 1944 to 1949 andminority leader from 1949 to 1951. He was also one of the few postwar politicos to see the plight of the defeated Germans. "The American people should know once and for all that as a result of this government’s official policy they are being made...accomplices in the crime of mass starvation...Germany is the only nation subjected to a deliberate starvation policy..."
In 1945, Wherry was among the seven senators who opposed full U.S. entry into theUnited Nations.[5]
Wherry also backed, with SenatorHomer Capehart of Indiana, legislation for building military family housing in the post-World War II era, when there were critical shortages of such housing.
Wherry represented the isolationist views of his largeGerman-American constituency. He intensely opposed international activities by the federal government, including entry into World War II, the Cold War, and the Korea War. He vigorously opposed any loans or aid to Europe. He did not believe that the Soviet Union threatened Nebraska's interests, and he strongly opposed theTruman Doctrine, and NATO. Wherry believed that it made no sense to oppose communism by supporting the socialist governments in Western Europe; and that American goods would reach Russia and increase its war potential.
Wherry was the unsuccessful leader in the fight to block theMarshall Plan in Congress in early 1948. Congress, under the control of Republicans, agreed to the Marshall Plan and its funding for multiple reasons. The 20-member conservative isolationist wing of the party was led by Wherry. Wherry and his men argued that it would be a wasteful "operation rat-hole." He was outmaneuvered by the internationalist wing, led by SenatorArthur H. Vandenberg. Vandenberg admitted there was no certainty that the plan would succeed, but said it would halt economic chaos, sustain Western civilization, and stop further Soviet expansion. SenatorRobert A. Taft, the most prominent conservative, hedged on the issue. He said it was without economic justification; however it was "absolutely necessary" in "the world battle against communism." In the end, only 17 senators voted against the Marshall Plan on March 13, 1948.[6]
Whatever the issue, Wherry could be counted on as a strong opponent of thepresidency of Harry Truman.[7]
In 1950,Robert A. Taft'sFair Employment Practice Committee bill was filibustered in the U.S. Senate. Wherry joined most Republicans in supporting cloture,[8] although cloture was not invoked.
Wherry was strongly opposed to homosexuals serving the US government. In 1950, he asked his Senate colleagues "can [you] think of a person who could be more dangerous to the United States of America than a pervert?"[9] In a 1950 interview, he toldMax Lerner that "You can't hardly separate homosexuals from subversives" and "But look Lerner, we're both Americans, aren't we? I say, let's get these fellows [closeted gay men in government positions] out of the government."[10]
He publicized his fear thatAdolf Hitler had givenJoseph Stalin a list of closeted homosexuals in government, which he believed Stalin would use to blackmail these same homosexuals into becoming Soviet spies.[11] In the spring of 1950, Wherry joined SenatorLister Hill, a Democrat from Alabama, in a congressional investigation of homosexuals in government, particularly the Department of State. He was particularly concerned with communist influence, saying "Only the most naive could believe that the Communists' fifth column in the United States would neglect to propagate and use homosexuals to gain their treacherous ends."[12]
On April 11, 1945, US forces liberated theBuchenwald concentration camp, which was established in 1937 and caused the deaths of at least 56,545 people. GeneralEisenhower left rotting corpses unburied so a visiting group of U.S. legislators could truly understand the horror of the atrocities. This group was visiting Buchenwald to inspect the camp and learn firsthand about the enormity of the NaziFinal Solution and treatment of other prisoners. Wherry visited the camp along withAlben W. Barkley,Ed Izac,John M. Vorys,Dewey Short,C. Wayland Brooks,General Omar N. Bradley, and journalistsJoseph Pulitzer,Norman Chandler, William I. Nichols andJulius Ochs Adler.[13][14]
Wherry died in Washington in 1951 at age 59, while serving as RepublicanFloor Leader. Recovering from abdominal surgery a few weeks earlier, he felt ill and was admitted toGeorge Washington University Hospital and died ofpneumonia several hours later.[1]
The fifteenth Senate term forNebraska's Class 2 seat, from January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1955, was unusual in that it saw six senators occupy the seat, beginning with Wherry.
| U.S. Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Nebraska January 3, 1943 – November 29, 1951 Served alongside:Hugh A. Butler | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Senate Minority Whip January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1947 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Senate Majority Whip January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Senate Minority Leader January 3, 1949 – November 29, 1951 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee for U.S. Senator fromNebraska 1942,1948 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Senate Republican Whip January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1949 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Senate Republican Leader January 3, 1949 – November 29, 1951 | Succeeded by |
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