Lawrence Wetherby (January 2, 1908 – March 27, 1994) was a lieutenant governor (1947–1950) and governor (1950–1955) of the US state of Kentucky. As governor, he helped increase funding for education, government benefits, 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 chair of the Southern Governors Conference in 1954 and 1955, he encouraged other southern governors to accept and implement desegregation. Wetherby was limited to one term by the state constitution. His successor, fellow Democrat A. B. "Happy" Chandler, failed to support his attempt in 1956 to succeed Alben Barkley in the US Senate, and he lost to Republican John Sherman Cooper. From 1964 to 1966, Wetherby served on a commission charged with revising the state constitution, and in 1966 he was elected to the Kentucky Senate, where he provided leadership in drafting the state budget. After retiring from politics, he worked as an engineering consultant.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Wetherby

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1680:

Trunajaya rebellion: Amangkurat II of Mataram and his bodyguards stabbed Trunajaya to death a week after the rebel leader surrendered to the Dutch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trunajaya_rebellion

1865:

Uruguayan War: Brazilian and Colorado forces captured the city of Paysandú from its Uruguayan defenders. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Paysand%C3%BA

1941:

Second World War: Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, was severely damaged by German bombing during the Cardiff Blitz. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llandaff_Cathedral

1967:

Former actor Ronald Reagan began his career in government when he was sworn in as the 33rd Governor of California. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan

2004:

The Stardust space probe flew by the comet Wild 2 and collected particle samples from its coma, which were later returned to Earth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/81P/Wild

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

cloud nine: 1. (idiomatic) Often in the phrase on cloud nine: a state of bliss, elation or happiness. 2. (idiomatic, possibly nonstandard) A state of fantastic or impractical dreaming or thinking. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cloud_nine

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

To succeed, planning alone is insufficient. One must improvise as well.   --Isaac Asimov https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov