Weiser High School Alumni
Weiser, Idaho (ID)
Herman Welker
U.S. Senator from Idaho (1951–57). Class of 1924
What is Herman Welker known for?
Herman Welker, born December 11, 1906, in Cambridge, Idaho, was a prominent American politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Idaho between 1951 to 1957. He was a member of the Idaho Republican Party. He completed his early education in Cambridge and graduated from Weiser High School in Weiser, Idaho, in 1924.
Welker's journey in politics started after he graduated from the University of Idaho with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1929. He passed the State bar at the age of 21 and was elected as the prosecuting attorney for Washington County, even before his graduation. He served in this position from 1928 to 1936. During World War II, Welker enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943 and served until 1944.
His political career elevated as he became a member of the Idaho State Senate from 1949 to 1951, subsequently running for the U.S. Senate in 1950. He won the seat and served as a U.S Senator for Idaho until 1957. His political stance was prominently on the right wing of the Republican Party, distinguishing himself as one of the most conservative and anticommunist senators.
In addition to his political career, Welker also had an interesting connection with sports. In the early 1950s, he introduced Harmon Killebrew, a young baseball player from Payette, Idaho, to Clark Griffith, owner of the Washington Senators. This introduction proved instrumental in Killebrew's baseball career.
Throughout his life, Herman Welker left a significant mark on American politics and made a substantial contribution to his community.