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

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and Korean War veteran who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

from 1959 to 1961.

Biography

Born in Carrier Mills, Illinois, Wampler earned a B.A. from

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified ...

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

(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 naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, (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 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

, (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 to 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

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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 United States Census 2020, 2020 census, Mason's population was 34,792. It is home to Kings Island amusement park and one of ...

, 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 members of the United States House of Representatives