Lawrence Wetherby | |
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| 48th Governor of Kentucky | |
| In office November 27, 1950 – December 13, 1955 | |
| Lieutenant | Emerson Beauchamp |
| Preceded by | Earle Clements |
| Succeeded by | A. B. "Happy" Chandler |
| 40th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky | |
| In office December 9, 1947 – November 27, 1950 | |
| Governor | Earle Clements |
| Preceded by | Kenneth H. Tuggle |
| Succeeded by | Emerson Beauchamp |
| Member of the Kentucky Senate from the 20th district | |
| In office January 1, 1966 – January 1, 1970 | |
| Preceded by | Marvin Edwards |
| Succeeded by | Mack G. Walters |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lawrence Winchester Wetherby January 2, 1908 Middletown, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | March 27, 1994 (aged 86) Frankfort, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Resting place | Frankfort Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Helen Dwyer |
| Alma mater | University of Louisville (LLB) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Lawrence Winchester Wetherby (January 2, 1908 – March 27, 1994) was an American politician who served as Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Kentucky. He was the first of only two governors in state history born in Jefferson County, despite the fact that Louisville (the county seat) is the state's most populous city. The second governor born in Jefferson County is the incumbent governor, Andy Beshear.
After graduating from the University of Louisville, Wetherby held several minor offices in the Jefferson County judicial system before being elected lieutenant governor in 1947. He was called Kentucky's first "working" lieutenant governor because Governor Earle C. Clements asked him to carry out duties beyond his constitutional responsibility to preside over the state Senate, such as preparing the state budget and attending the Southern Governors Conference. In 1950, Clements resigned to assume a seat in the U.S. Senate, elevating Wetherby to governor. Wetherby won immediate acclaim by calling a special legislative session to increase funding for education and government benefits from the state's budget surplus. In 1951, he won a four-year full term as governor, during which he continued and expanded many of Clements' programs, including increased road construction and industrial diversification. He endorsed the Supreme Court's 1954 desegregation order in the case of Brown v. Board of Education and appointed a biracial commission to oversee the successful integration of the state's schools. As chairman of the Southern Governors Conference in 1954 and 1955, he encouraged other southern governors to accept and implement desegregation.
Limited to one term by the state constitution, Wetherby supported Bert Combs to be his successor, but Combs lost in the Democratic primary to A. B. "Happy" Chandler, a former governor and factional opponent of both Wetherby and Clements. Chandler's failure to support Wetherby's 1956 bid to succeed Democrat Alben Barkley in the Senate contributed to his loss to Republican John Sherman Cooper. From 1964 to 1966, Wetherby served on a commission charged with revising the state constitution, and in 1965 he was elected to the Kentucky Senate, where he provided leadership in drafting the state budget. Following this, he retired from politics and served as a consultant for Brighton Engineering. Wetherby died on March 27, 1994, of complications from a broken hip and was buried in Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky.