Charles Wheeler (politician)

Charles Bertan Wheeler, Jr. (born August 10, 1926) is a former Missouri state senator and a former mayor of Kansas City, Missouri from 1971 to 1979, in addition to having held other elected offices. As of January 2011, he is running once again for Mayor of Kansas City, MO.

Life

Wheeler was born in 1926.^[1] A graduate of the University of Kansas Medical School, he was a Flight Surgeon in the United States Air Force Medical Corps before he returned to Kansas City as Director of Laboratories at Kansas City General Hospital and Medical Center, and, later as Director of Wheeler Medical Laboratories.

Dr. Wheeler began his public career in 1965 when he was elected Coroner of Jackson County, Missouri. Subsequently, he was elected as Judge of the Western District of the Jackson County Court.

Kansas City mayor

In 1971 he was elected to two consecutive terms as mayor of Kansas City. Although the mayor does not have a formal party affiliation, he is Democrat. During his tenure he oversaw the financing and construction of Kemper Arena, which was built in 18 months and hosted the 1976 Republican National Convention.

Kansas City International Airport opened in 1972 during his watch. The Kansas City Downtown Airport, which used to be the city's main airport, is now formally named for him.

Wheeler ran for the U.S. Senate in 1976 and garnered less than 2% of the vote^[2] in the Democratic primary in a race that was won by Jerry Litton, who died in a plane crash en route to the victory party in Kansas City. John C. Danforth ultimately won the position.

State Senator

In 2002, Wheeler ran unopposed in the general election and was elected to the State Senate from the 10th District.

He did not concurrently seek re-election to the senate and was succeeded by Democrat Jolie Justus in the 10th district seat.

In 2006, at the age of 79, Wheeler ran for Jackson County Executive, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by county prosecutor Mike Sanders.^[3]

In 2008, Wheeler ran for the Democratic nomination for Missouri State Treasurer. He placed fourth behind the nominee Clint Zweifel and two other candidates.

Doctor in Politics

Wheeler was the only physician in the Missouri State Senate. Having authored "Doctor in Politics" in 1974, Wheeler is a frequent lecturer and speaker. He has served as Assistant Clinical Professor of Pathology, University of Kansas Medical School, as well as adjunct professor and consultant to the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and the Henry W. Bloch School of Business and Public Administration.

Wheeler is an American Diplomat of the Board of Pathology, certified in Pathologic Anatomy and Clinical Pathology, and, Forensic Pathology. He is recipient of the American Medical Association's Benjamin Rush Award (1971), the University of Missouri-Kansas City Lifetime Achievement Award (1984), and the Kansas University Medical Distinguished Alumnus Award (1997).

References

1. Official Manual, State of Missouri, 2005-2006. Jefferson City, MO:Secretary of State.

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=230003
3. ^ Sanders Wins County Executive Race

External links

• AMA awards
• Candidate website for Jackson County Executive, 2006

Political offices
Preceded by Ilus W. Davis	Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri 1971—1979	Succeeded by Richard L. Berkley
Missouri Senate
Preceded by Harry Wiggins	Missouri State Senator from the 10th District 2003—2007	Succeeded by Jolie Justus

Persondata
Name	Wheeler, Charles
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Date of birth	August 10, 1926
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