Charles W. Whalen Jr.

Charles William Whalen Jr (July 31, 1920 – June 27, 2011^[1]) was an American politician from Ohio. Whalen was a member of the

Born in Dayton, Ohio, Whalen graduated from Oakwood High School, from the University of Dayton with a degree in business administration in 1942, and from Harvard University Graduate School of Business in 1946. He enlisted in the United States Army during World War II and was discharged as a first lieutenant in 1946.

After his discharge from the service, he worked at his father's company, Dayton Dress Company as a vice president from 1946 to 1952, and was a professor of economics and chairman of the department at the University of Dayton from 1962 to 1966.^[2]

Ohio state legislator

In 1954, Whalen was elected to the

In 1962, he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for

Whalen next ran for Congress in 1966. During the election, he walked 880 miles around his district to meet voters.[4] In the general election, he defeated freshman incumbent Rodney Love with 53.8% of the vote.

In five more races, Whalen was never seriously challenged. He won 78% of the vote in 1968, a year when

In 1973, Whalen authored the book "Your Right to Know: How the Free Flow of News Depends on the Journalist's Right to Protect His Sources," which has an introduction written by Walter Cronkite.^[2]

His voting record increasingly put him at odds with his own party.^[4] Congressional Quarterly estimated that, in 1974, he voted against the majority of his party members 72% of the time. In 1977, he acknowledged that he had spoken with the Democratic Party leadership about switching parties. While Ohio state law would have made this difficult, he also considered running as an independent in 1978.^[9] Ultimately, he decided not to run for re-election in 1978. Whalen was succeeded by Democrat Tony P. Hall. After he left Congress, Whalen switched his party registration to Democratic.^[2]

Later life

After his retirement from Congress, Whalen authored two books with his wife Barbara, a former columnist for the Dayton Journal Herald and the voice of Elsie the Cow. The first, "The Longest Debate: A Legislative History of the 1964 Civil Rights Act", chronicled the legislative process behind the passage of the Civil Rights Act. His second book, "The Fighting McCooks – America's Famous Fighting Family", discussed a local family with a long military history.^[2]

Whalen died in Bethesda, Maryland on June 27, 2011. He was 90.^[2]

References

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Sources

• United States Congress. "Charles W. Whalen Jr. (id: W000317)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Whalen, Charles W. Jr. and Barbara Whalen. The Longest Debate: A Legislative History of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Cabin John, MD: Seven Locks Press, 1985.