Judson Churchill Welliver (August 13, 1870 – April 14, 1943) was a "literary clerk" to President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

and is usually credited as being the first presidential speechwriter.

Biography

Judson Welliver was born on August 13, 1870 in Aledo, Illinois. He married his wife, Jane Douglas Hutchins, on July 3, 1899. They had four children—Edward M., Allan J., Sarah H., and Jane Douglas. By 1909, Welliver had earned a reputation as "one of the most able journalists in the country". He worked variously at the ''

Fort Dodge Messenger ''The Messenger'' is a newspaper that is printed and delivered to the Fort Dodge, Iowa, area. That area covers Buena Vista, Calhoun, Greene, Hamilton, Humboldt, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Sac, Webster, and Wright counties. It was founded on J ...

'', the ''

Sioux City Journal The ''Sioux City Journal'' is the daily newspaper and website of Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1864, the publication now covers northwestern Iowa and portions of Nebraska and South Dakota. The Journal has won numerous state, regional and nation ...

'', and the '' Des Moines Leader'' before becoming the editor of the ''

Sioux City Tribune The ''Sioux City Tribune'' was a newspaper serving Sioux City, Iowa from the late nineteenth into the mid-twentieth century. History The ''Tribune'' was formed out of the ''Sioux City Daily and Weekly Times'', a paper which had been founded in May ...

'', a position which he held until 1904. That year, Wellington joined the staff of the '' Washington Times'', where he was noted for his support of the

Progressives Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techno ...

. He wrote articles for '' McClure's Magazine'' and ''Hampton's'' during the

muckraker The muckrakers were reform-minded journalists, writers, and photographers in the Progressive Era in the United States (1890s–1920s) who claimed to expose corruption and wrongdoing in established institutions, often through sensationalist publ ...

period. He was sent to Europe by President Roosevelt in 1907 to report on the waterway and railroad systems of Europe and Great Britain. (The report was published in 1908.) He managed London correspondence and European news for the '' New York Sun'' from 1917 until 1918. Welliver handled publicity for Harding during his 1920 presidential campaign, and began working as a "literary clerk" to President Harding on March 4, 1921. Welliver left his speech-writing position at the White House on November 1, 1925 (under the presidency of

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

), accepting a position at the

American Petroleum Institute The American Petroleum Institute (API) is the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry. It claims to represent nearly 600 corporations involved in production, refinement, distribution, and many other aspects of the pet ...

for a better salary. After he resigned from the American Petroleum job in 1927, Welliver went on to become editor of the ''

Washington Herald ''The Washington Herald'' was an American daily newspaper in Washington, D.C., from October 8, 1906, to January 31, 1939. History The paper was founded in 1906 by Scott C. Bone, who had been managing editor of ''The Washington Post'' from 1888 ...

'' in 1928. He was also assistant to the president of the

Pullman Company The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century d ...

from 1928 to 1931. Welliver died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

on April 14, 1943, at the age of 72. The

Judson Welliver Society The Judson Welliver Society is a bipartisan social club composed exclusively of former presidential speechwriters in the United States. The group is named after Judson C. Welliver, the "literary clerk" to President Warren Harding, usually credite ...

, a bipartisan social club composed of former presidential speechwriters, is named in his honor.

Notes and references

;Notes ;References

External links

The Judson Welliver Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welliver, Judson 1870 births 1943 deaths People from Aledo, Illinois American speechwriters American newspaper reporters and correspondents United States presidential advisors Presidency of Warren G. Harding Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania