Weston "Wes" Edward Vivian (October 25, 1924 – December 4, 2020) 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 opposing ...

veteran, electrical engineer and politician from the state of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. 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 (now the Canadian province of

Newfoundland & Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

), and moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

with his parents on September 5, 1929, settling in

Cranston, Rhode Island Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island. The official population of the city in the 2020 United States Census was 82,934, making it the second largest in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island ...

where he attended school. 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 ...

as an enlisted man and officer from 1943 to 1946. He received a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, 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 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

in 1949, and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, Ann Arbor 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 Michigan's 2nd congressional district is a United States congressional district in Western Michigan. The current 2nd district contains much of Michigan's old 4th congressional district, and includes all of Manistee, Mason, Lake, Osceola, Clar ...

to the 89th United States Congress, 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.

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. 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