Kenneth S. Wherry
Kenneth Spicer Wherry (February 28, 1892 – November 29, 1951) was an American businessman, attorney, and politician.[1] A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. senator from Nebraska from 1943 until his death in 1951; he was the minority leader for the last two years.
Kenneth Wherry
Leverett Saltonstall
Styles Bridges
Wallace H. White
Charles L. McNary
Wallace H. White
Felix Hebert (1935)
November 29, 1951 (aged 59)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Marjorie Colwell
1 son
1 daughter
1917–1918
Early life[edit]
Wherry was the third of five children born in Liberty, Nebraska, to David Emery and Jessie (née Comstock) Wherry.[2] He received his early education at public schools in Pawnee City, and graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity) in 1914.[3] From 1915 to 1916, he studied business administration at Harvard Business School.[2] During World War I, he served in the U.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 licensed undertaker with offices in Nebraska and Kansas.[2] He also studied law and, after being admitted to the bar, entered private practice in Pawnee City.[4]
Death[edit]
Wherry died in Washington in 1951 at age 59, while serving as Republican Floor Leader. Recovering from abdominal surgery a few weeks earlier, he felt ill and was admitted to George Washington University Hospital and died of pneumonia several hours later.[1]
The fifteenth Senate term for Nebraska'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.