Weston "Wes" Edward Vivian (October 25, 1924 – December 4, 2020) was an American World War II veteran, electrical engineer and politician from the state of Michigan. He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 1967.

Biography

Vivian was born in Pushthrough in the

Dominion of Newfoundland Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was established on 26 September 1907, and confirmed by the Balfour Declaration of 1926 and the Statute of Westmi ...

(now the Canadian province of Newfoundland & Labrador), and moved to the United States with his parents on September 5, 1929, settling in Cranston, Rhode Island where he attended school. He served in the United States Navy as an enlisted man and officer from 1943 to 1946. He received a B.S. at Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 1945, and a

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge in 1949, and a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan,

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

in 1959. He was a candidate for city council of Ann Arbor from 1958 to 1959 and a research engineer and lecturer at the University of Michigan from 1951 to 1959. He was chairman of the Ann Arbor City Democratic Committee from 1959 to 1960. He was electronics engineer and consultant for various firms and institutions.

Tenure in Congress

In 1964, Vivian 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 ...

from Michigan's 2nd congressional district to the

89th United States Congress The 89th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1965, ...

, serving from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1967. He was known as one of the

Michigan Five Fluke Freshmen The Michigan Five Fluke Freshmen is the name given to five members of the U.S. House of Representatives who were elected in the Democratic landslide of 1964 and were subsequently defeated just two years later by a Republican resurgence. They incl ...

and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1966 to the Ninetieth Congress, being defeated by then-state Representative

Marvin L. Esch Marvin Leonel Esch (August 4, 1927 – June 19, 2010) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan and a member of the Republican Party. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1977 before unsuccessfully seekin ...

Later career and death

Vivian later served as vice president of Vicom Industries, Inc. in Ann Arbor and became a lecturer at the Institute of Public Policy Studies, University of Michigan. He also became a telecommunications consultant. He was a Unitarian and a member of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

. He died in Ann Arbor, Michigan in December 2020, at the age of 96.

References

General references

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vivian, Weston Edward 1924 births 2020 deaths University of Michigan alumni University of Michigan faculty Politicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan Politicians from Cranston, Rhode Island Military personnel from Rhode Island Canadian emigrants to the United States Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers Military personnel from Michigan