Charles Weltner
| Charles Longstreet Weltner | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 5th district | |
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In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1967 |
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| Preceded by | James C. Davis |
| Succeeded by | Fletcher Thompson |
| Judge of the Fulton County Superior Court | |
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In office 1976–1981 |
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| Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia | |
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In office 1981–1992 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 17, 1927 Atlanta, Georgia |
| Died | August 31, 1992 (aged 64) Atlanta, Georgia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Columbia Law School |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
Charles Longstreet Weltner (December 17, 1927 – August 31, 1992) was a politician from the U.S. state of Georgia.
Weltner was born in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1948, he received a bachelor's degree from Oglethorpe University in suburban DeKalb County, Georgia. In 1950, he received a law degree from Columbia Law School in New York City. After serving two years in the United States Army, Weltner practiced law in Atlanta and worked to defeat Georgia's county-unit system and preserve the public school system after state leaders threatened to close the schools rather than integrate.
In 1962, Weltner was elected to represent Georgia's 5th congressional district in the House of Representatives as a Democrat. He was the only member of the state's congressional delegation to vote for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He also supported quick implementation of the United States Supreme Court decision to outlaw racial segregation in public schools, the 1954 decision Brown v. Board of Education. In 1966, Weltner refused to run for re-election when the state Democratic Party demanded that he sign a loyalty oath that would have required him to support Lester Maddox, an ardent segregationist who was running for governor against a Republican U.S. representative, Howard Callaway. In a speech, Weltner said, "I love the Congress, but I will give up my office before I give up my principles." No other had taken the loyalty oath so literally. Weltner described Maddox as "the very symbol of violence and repression." Nevertheless, Maddox was chosen governor by the state legislature as a result of a general election impasse with Callaway and former Governor Ellis Arnall, who received critical votes as a write-in candidate. Maddox ridiculed Weltner for abandoning the House race: "Anyone who would give up his seat in Congress is sick." Conversely, U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., hailed Weltner's courage for rejecting Maddox.The Macon Telegraph decreed Weltner "a public servant greatly to be admired." The Savannah Morning News termed Weltner "a man of principle" but repudiated his "foolhardy liberalism."
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