Donald Strehle Whitehead (October 10, 1888 – January 2, 1957) was an American politician from

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. The state's 23rd and 28th

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, he served a combined six years between 1939 and 1951.

Early life

Whitehead was born on December 10, 1888, in Three Oaks, Michigan, to parents William Searing Whitehead and Louise M. Whitehead (nee Strehle). The family moved to Idaho when Whitehead was six months old. Whitehead graduated Boise High School in 1904 and he graduated the University of Idaho in 1907. He planned to become an engineer, but his father's illness forced him to return to the family business; In 1909, Whitehead became a druggist in Boise, and on November 17, 1909, he married Muriel G. Shaw.

Political career

Whitehead began his political career in 1922, when he was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives. In 1929, he was elected Speaker of the House. Whitehead was first elected lieutenant governor in 1938 and served in the first administration of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

C. A. Bottolfsen Clarence Alfred Bottolfsen (October 10, 1891July 18, 1964) was an American publisher and politician from Idaho, a member of the Idaho Republican Party. He served as the state's 17th and 19th List of Governors of Idaho, governor, from 1939 to 1941 ...

. He was elected again in 1946 and served a four-year term under Governor

C. A. Robins Charles Armington Robins (December 8, 1884 – September 20, 1970) was an American physician and the 22nd governor of Idaho. Early years Born in Iowa at Defiance in Shelby County, at age four Robins moved west with his family to Colorado, ...

. He previously served as

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the state's house of representatives. In June 1947, Whitehead reported seeing a

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

in Boise. The same day, pilot

Kenneth Arnold Kenneth Albert Arnold (March 29, 1915 – January 16, 1984) was an American aviator, businessman, and politician. He is best known for making what is generally considered the first widely reported modern unidentified flying object sighting in ...

said he saw a similar object in the Cascades of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, near

Mount Rainier Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...

; the reported sightings received national media coverage. In 1950, Whitehead announced plans to run for governor; A heart attack led him to cancel those plans.

Death

Whitehead died in 1957; At the time of his death, he was the only person to have served as both Speaker of the Idaho House and as Lt. Governor. Whitehead had been active in the local Episcopal cathedral and its Scottish Rite organization.

References

1947 ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch article on Whitehead's UFO sighting
Speakers of the Idaho House of Representatives Lieutenant Governors of Idaho 1888 births 1957 deaths 20th-century American politicians People from Three Oaks, Michigan {{Idaho-politician-stub