- Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program
- Title:
- Oral history interview with Charles Weltner, 1991 May 16
- Creator:
- Weltner, Charles Longstreet
- Contributor to Resource:
- Steely, Mel
University of West Georgia. Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program - Publisher:
- Carrollton, Ga. : University of West Georgia Special Collections in association with the Digital Library of Georgia
- Date of Original:
- 1991-05-16
- Subject:
- Georgia--Politics and government--1865-1950
Georgia--Politics and government--1951-
Legislators--Georgia
United States. Army
Columbia University. School of Law--Alumni and alumnae
Anti-communism movements--United States
United States--Economic conditions
Georgia--Economic conditions
Violence--Prevention
Attorneys general--Georgia
Atlanta Constitution
Banks and banking--United States
Black power--United States--History--20th century
University System of Georgia. Board of Regents
Boy Scouts of America
Political campaigns--Georgia
Political campaigns--United States
Capital punishment--United States
Capital punishment--Georgia
Civil rights--United States--History--20th century
United States. Civil Rights Act of 1964
Cold War
United States. Congress
Crime--United States
Crime--Georgia
DeKalb County (Ga.)
Democratic Party (U.S.)
Forests and forestry--United States
Forests and forestry--Georgia
Fulton County (Ga.)
Georgia. General Assembly
Ku Klux Klan (1915- )
Elections--Georgia
Newnan (Ga.)
Oglethorpe University
Rockdale County (Ga.)
Urban renewal--United States
Urban renewal--Georgia
16th Street Baptist Church Bombing, Birmingham, Ala., 1963
Chicago Seven Trial, Chicago, Ill., 1969-1970
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
WSB (Radio station : Atlanta, Ga.)
World War, 1914-1918
Weltner, Charles Longstreet
Atley, C.
Landrum, Philip M.
Sanders, Carl Edward, 1925-
Allen, Ivan, 1877-1968
Blackburn, Benjamin B. (Benjamin Bentley), 1927-
Bond, Julian, 1940-
Brannon, Ed
Bowers, Mike
Benus, Kenneth
Boyd, Betty Cobb
Busbee, George, 1927-
Callaway, Howard H. (Howard Hollis), 1927-
Gregory, Cleveland E., Jr.
Clint, Jack
Craig, Calvin Fred
Davis, James C. (James Curran), 1895-
Dirksen, Everett McKinley
Flynt, John James, 1914-
Fortson, Blanton
Gingrich, Newt
Fowler, Wyche, 1940-
Geer, Peter Zack
Humphrey, Hubert H. (Hubert Horatio), 1911-1978
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963--Assasination
Lowe, Wyman
Massell, Sam
Murphy, Thomas Bailey, 1924-2007
Patterson, Eugene C. (Eugene Corbett), 1923-
Powell, Adam Clayton, 1908-1972
Rivers, Eurith Dickinson, 1895-1967
Thompson, Fletcher, 1925- - People:
- Russell, Richard B. (Richard Brevard), 1897-1971
Maddox, Lester, 1915-2003
Allen, Ivan, 1911-2003
Talmadge, Herman E. (Herman Eugene), 1913-2002
Arnall, Ellis Gibbs, 1907-1992
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945
Carter, Jimmy, 1924- - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
moving images - Type:
- Moving Image
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- "Representative from Georgia; born in Atlanta, Fulton County Ga., December 17, 1927; attended the public schools of Fulton County, Ga.; graduated from Oglethorpe University at Atlanta, Ga., in 1948 and from Columbia University School of Law at New York City, in 1950; received M.A. from Columbia Theological Seminary, 1983, and LL.M., University of Virginia Law School, 1983; commenced practice in Atlanta, Ga., in 1950; served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army, 1955-1957; elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-eighth and Eighty-ninth Congresses (January 3, 1963-January 3, 1967); was not a candidate for reelection in 1966 to the Ninetieth Congress; unsuccessful candidate for election in 1968 to the Ninety-first Congress; deputy chairman, Democratic National Committee, and director of young Americans division, 1967; resumed the practice of law; judge, Superior Court, Atlanta Judicial Circuit, 1976-1981; chairman, Judicial Council of Georgia, 1980-1981; justice, Supreme Court of Georgia, 1981-1992, chief justice from June 1992 until his death in Atlanta, Ga., on August 31, 1992; was a resident of Atlanta."--Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.; Interviewed by Mel Steely on May 16, 1999 at Weltner's office.; The interview begins with a discussion on Weltner's childhood and education. Weltner refuses to discuss his religious beliefs, stating that he does not want to use them as an excuse or as protection from any of his poor decisions. He answers questions about his time in law school at Columbia and his knowledge that he would always be a lawyer and get involved in politics. He then discusses his entrance into politics and addresses being referred to as an example of the "new wave of politicians." He says the idea was to be a lot like Kennedy-- but not too much like him. In regards to President Kennedy, Weltner reflects on him as a man and remembers his assassination. He summarizes the attitudes of Congress towards Civil Rights, Vietnam, and the economy during his time in office. Weltner addresses his voting against and then changing his mind and voting for the Civil Rights Bill of 1967. One of the main themes of the interview involves Weltner's stance on race in politics. He repeatedly says that race was not why he decided to vote on certain things, but rather he made decisions and changed his mind if he felt like it-- he said he was content to be called a flip-flop. Later, when it came down to running again, he withdrew from the electoral race because he refused to support Lester Maddox. Later in the interview, Weltner talks about his return to law after his time in politics as a judge.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:uwg_phc_weltner19910516
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/uwg/phc/do:weltner19910516
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: [interview title], Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, University of West Georgia
- Extent:
- 3 interviews (circa 58 mins.; circa 61 mins; circa 21 mins.)
- Original Collection:
- Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, State University of West Georgia
- Holding Institution:
- University of West Georgia. Special Collections
- Rights:
-
