Wilson W. Wyatt
Encyclopedia
Wilson Watkins Wyatt served as Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1941 to 1945 and as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
from 1959 to 1963. He was a member of the Democratic Party
.
Wyatt was born in Louisville
in 1905 and attended the University of Louisville
as well as the Jefferson School of Law, becoming an attorney in 1927. He was the principal counsel for The Courier-Journal
and other Bingham
family owned media companies prior to his political career.
Wyatt's political career began with his election as Mayor of Louisville in 1941. He took office just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor
ushered the United States
into World War II
. Wyatt made civil defense a priority and was involved with a great deal of planning related to that. Wyatt also initiated Louisville's planning and zoning commission.
As his term as mayor of Louisville ended, President Harry S. Truman
appointed Wyatt as United States Housing Expediter for the Office of War Mobilization
, a position that was given cabinet-level rank.
With Eleanor Roosevelt
and others Wyatt took a leading role in the founding and leadership of Americans for Democratic Action
and he was the first chairman of the group in 1947.
Wyatt was campaign manager for Adlai Stevenson's 1952 presidential
campaign, and played a prominent role in Stevenson's 1956 presidential campaign.
In 1959 Wyatt planned to run for Governor of Kentucky
. He eventually decided to run for Lieutenant Governor with the party's 1955 nominee, Bert T. Combs
, at the top of the ticket. Combs and Wyatt were both elected and served in those offices from 1959 through 1963. Combs' administration created the Kentucky Economic Development Commission and Wyatt was its chairman.
In 1962 Wyatt was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate
but lost the election to the Republican incumbent Thruston B. Morton.
In 1963 President John F. Kennedy
appointed Wyatt as a special envoy to Indonesia
to deal with Indonesian president Sukarno
who was threatening to nationalize foreign oil companies there. Wyatt's mission was successful and Sukarno did not nationalize the foreign-owned elements of the Indonesian oil industry.
After leaving the lieutenant governor's office in 1963, Wyatt returned to the law firm which he had co-founded in the late 1940's. Originally known as Wyatt, Grafton & Grafton, the firm had changed name partners when Wyatt became Lt. Governor. The Grafton brothers, Cornelius ("Chip"), father of noted mystery novelist, Sue Grafton
, and Arthur had formed the firm with Wyatt. Chip's practice was heavily oriented to representation of municipal bond issuers. Wyatt's position as Lt. Governor presented a conflict of interest
for Wyatt's law firm. As a result, Chip left the firm in order to be able to continue his practice without the conflict issue and formed Harper, Ferguson, Grafton & Fleischer. The Wyatt firm became known as Wyatt, Grafton & Sloss, with partner Robert L. Sloss elevated to name status.
After completing his term as Governor of Kentucky, Combs was appointed a federal appellate judge. He resigned this position to seek another term as governor but was defeated. He then resumed the practice of law with the old line Louisville firm of Bullitt, Dawson and Tarrant, which was renamed Tarrant, Combs & Bullitt. In the early 1980's, after Wyatt's retirement, Gordon Davidson, the managing partner of the Wyatt firm, and Combs engineered the merger of the two firms, forming Kentucky's largest law firm, Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs.
In 1968 Hubert Humphrey
, the Vice President of the United States
and Democratic presidential nominee, had Wyatt play an important role at the Democratic National Convention in working out a compromise over the party's platform on the Vietnam War
.
For the remainder of his life Wyatt was active in the legal community and with civic affairs in Kentucky. He and his wife Anne donated $500,000 to the Jefferson County, Kentucky
public schools to create scholarships for high school debaters, and another $500,000 to the law school at the University of Louisville, where he had once served as chairman of the board of trustees. The university in turn named its law school building after Wyatt in 1995. In addition, Wyatt served a term as chairman of the board of trustees at Bellarmine University
, and a sizeable donation from him and his wife funds a lecture series at the school.
Wyatt died in 1996; he is interred in Section 33, Lot 13 of Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
The office of lieutenant governor of Kentucky has existed under the last three of Kentucky's four constitutions, beginning in 1797. The lieutenant governor serves as governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to the Vice President of the United States assuming the powers of the presidency...
from 1959 to 1963. He was a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Wyatt was born in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
in 1905 and attended the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
as well as the Jefferson School of Law, becoming an attorney in 1927. He was the principal counsel for The Courier-Journal
The Courier-Journal
The Courier-Journal, locally called "The C-J", is the main newspaper for the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the paper is the 48th largest daily paper in the United States and the single largest in Kentucky.- Origins :The...
and other Bingham
Barry Bingham, Sr.
George Barry Bingham, Sr., CBE, was the patriarch of a family that dominated local media in Louisville for several decades in the 20th century....
family owned media companies prior to his political career.
Wyatt's political career began with his election as Mayor of Louisville in 1941. He took office just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
ushered the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
into World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Wyatt made civil defense a priority and was involved with a great deal of planning related to that. Wyatt also initiated Louisville's planning and zoning commission.
As his term as mayor of Louisville ended, President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
appointed Wyatt as United States Housing Expediter for the Office of War Mobilization
Office of War Mobilization
The Office of War Mobilization was an independent agency of the United States government headed by Former Supreme Court Justice James F. Byrnes that coordinated all government agencies involved in the war effort during World War II...
, a position that was given cabinet-level rank.
With Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
and others Wyatt took a leading role in the founding and leadership of Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action
Americans for Democratic Action is an American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA works for social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research and supporting progressive candidates.-History:...
and he was the first chairman of the group in 1947.
Wyatt was campaign manager for Adlai Stevenson's 1952 presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
campaign, and played a prominent role in Stevenson's 1956 presidential campaign.
In 1959 Wyatt planned to run for Governor of Kentucky
Governor of Kentucky
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...
. He eventually decided to run for Lieutenant Governor with the party's 1955 nominee, Bert T. Combs
Bert T. Combs
Bertram Thomas Combs was a jurist and politician from the US state of Kentucky. After serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, he was elected the 50th Governor of Kentucky in 1959 on his second run for the office. Following his gubernatorial term, he was appointed to the Sixth Circuit Court of...
, at the top of the ticket. Combs and Wyatt were both elected and served in those offices from 1959 through 1963. Combs' administration created the Kentucky Economic Development Commission and Wyatt was its chairman.
In 1962 Wyatt was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
but lost the election to the Republican incumbent Thruston B. Morton.
In 1963 President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
appointed Wyatt as a special envoy to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
to deal with Indonesian president Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
who was threatening to nationalize foreign oil companies there. Wyatt's mission was successful and Sukarno did not nationalize the foreign-owned elements of the Indonesian oil industry.
After leaving the lieutenant governor's office in 1963, Wyatt returned to the law firm which he had co-founded in the late 1940's. Originally known as Wyatt, Grafton & Grafton, the firm had changed name partners when Wyatt became Lt. Governor. The Grafton brothers, Cornelius ("Chip"), father of noted mystery novelist, Sue Grafton
Sue Grafton
Sue Taylor Grafton is a contemporary American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the 'alphabet series' featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. The daughter of detective novelist C. W...
, and Arthur had formed the firm with Wyatt. Chip's practice was heavily oriented to representation of municipal bond issuers. Wyatt's position as Lt. Governor presented a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
for Wyatt's law firm. As a result, Chip left the firm in order to be able to continue his practice without the conflict issue and formed Harper, Ferguson, Grafton & Fleischer. The Wyatt firm became known as Wyatt, Grafton & Sloss, with partner Robert L. Sloss elevated to name status.
After completing his term as Governor of Kentucky, Combs was appointed a federal appellate judge. He resigned this position to seek another term as governor but was defeated. He then resumed the practice of law with the old line Louisville firm of Bullitt, Dawson and Tarrant, which was renamed Tarrant, Combs & Bullitt. In the early 1980's, after Wyatt's retirement, Gordon Davidson, the managing partner of the Wyatt firm, and Combs engineered the merger of the two firms, forming Kentucky's largest law firm, Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs.
In 1968 Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
, the Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
and Democratic presidential nominee, had Wyatt play an important role at the Democratic National Convention in working out a compromise over the party's platform on the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
For the remainder of his life Wyatt was active in the legal community and with civic affairs in Kentucky. He and his wife Anne donated $500,000 to the Jefferson County, Kentucky
Jefferson County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of...
public schools to create scholarships for high school debaters, and another $500,000 to the law school at the University of Louisville, where he had once served as chairman of the board of trustees. The university in turn named its law school building after Wyatt in 1995. In addition, Wyatt served a term as chairman of the board of trustees at Bellarmine University
Bellarmine University
Bellarmine University is an independent, private, Catholic university in Louisville, Kentucky. The liberal arts institution opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop John A. Floersh of the Archdiocese of Louisville and named after the Cardinal Saint Robert...
, and a sizeable donation from him and his wife funds a lecture series at the school.
Wyatt died in 1996; he is interred in Section 33, Lot 13 of Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.