Historical Marker

Gov. Lawrence W. Wetherby

Historical marker location:

Middletown, Kentucky

( 11803 Old Shelbyville Rd., Middletown)

Lawrence Winchester Wetherby (1908-1994)- A native of Middletown, Wetherby graduated from the University of Louisville Law School in 1929, and for 20 years practiced law & served the judiciary. He was elected lt. gov. in 1947 and governor in 1951. He pushed the state legislature to improve education, mental hospitals, child welfare laws, and conservation of natural resources.

Reverse

Gov. Lawrence W. Wetherby- Wetherby publicly supported 1954 Supreme Court’s Brown vs. Board of Education desegregation order. He began Ky. Turnpike, state’s first toll road, and urged governors & the U.S. President to make it part of the Great Lakes-to-Gulf highway, precursor to the interstate system. He increased the number of local airports & directed construction of new state fairgrounds in Louisville.