Fred Wampler (October 15, 1909 – June 8, 1999) was an American

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and Korean War veteran who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1959 to 1961.

Biography

Born in

Carrier Mills, Illinois Carrier Mills, formerly Carrier's Mills and Morrilsville, also known as Catskin, is a village in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,672 at the 2020 census. Carrier Mills was named after George Washington Carrier's saw ...

, Wampler earned a B.A. from

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

(at the time, Indiana State Teachers College), and an M.A. in 1940 from Indiana University. A veteran of both World War II and the Korean War, he served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, (1944–46 and 1950–54); and in the

United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...

, (1946–49 and 1954–60) for a total of 15 years. An excellent collegiate athlete, he was awarded 12 letters by Indiana State from 1928-1931, he entered the local high school teaching and coaching ranks following graduation. Over the next 21 years he was a teacher, the head football coach and assistant coach in tennis, golf and basketball at his alma mater, Gerstmeyer High School in Terre Haute, where he had lettered in four sports (baseball, basketball, football and track) as a student. From 1947 to 1949, during off seasons, he was a radio sports director and announcer.

Congress

Wampler was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Eighty-sixth Congress (January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1961). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Eighty-seventh Congress in 1960 and for election to the Eighty-eighth Congress in 1962.

Later career and death

He was appointed to the Indiana-Illinois Wabash Valley Interstate Commission, serving from 1961 to 1962, and was regional coordinator, U.S. Department of the Interior, from 1963 to 1970. He also served as state and federal funding coordinator for the Ohio State Department of Natural Resources and Transportation from 1971 to 1976. He died at age 90 in

Mason, Ohio Mason is a city in southwestern Warren County, Ohio, United States, approximately north of downtown Cincinnati. As of the 2020 census, Mason's population was 34,792. Mason is home to Kings Island amusement park and one of the largest tennis stad ...

, and was interred in Roselawn Memorial Park, Terre Haute, Indiana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wampler, Fred 1909 births 1999 deaths People from Saline County, Illinois Indiana State University alumni Indiana State Sycamores football players Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana 20th-century American politicians