William J. Wertz

William Jennings Wertz He signed up in July 1918 as a private and returned later that year to the Great Lakes Training Station where he was promoted to deputy instructor. He re-enrolled at the law school on his return, and later met his wife to be Miss Pauline Elouise Pingrey from Neodesha, Kansas, and whom he married February 11, 1920.

After working for several years in private practice he ran for the county attorney as a Republican in 1926.

In 1930 Wertz and sheriff Charles Ohrvall were investigated for misconduct, but after an investigation into the law enforcement conditions in Sedgwick county the attorney general William A. Smith found no evidence to warrant a suit against either.

Wertz stood for State Senator in 1940 running on the Republican ticket, and won the district 27 seat and was just one of the 108 Republicans with only 17 Democrats elected.

In March 1942 Wertz was one several Senators to enter military service due to the ongoing World War II, this time with the Army. They did not resign immediately, and Wertz expressed that he expected to be in Omaha, Nebraska and able to attend the 1943 session.

In 1948 Wertz was appointed as a District Judge in Sedgwick County but failed to file for the interim period from the election till the start of the new term, but Lloyd M. Kagey did file and won. However he again failed to file for the remainder of the current term from the election until the start of the new term, and repeating history Lloyd M. Kagey did file and won the seat.

Wertz announced his intention to retire on October 1, 1965, several month prior in July to give Governor William Avery time to choose a successor.

In 1975 he was appointed along with Assistant Attorney General Donald R Hoffman to examine files held by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to determine which had no legitimate value for criminal action and destroy them. This was done when the Republican legislators raised issues that the bureau had been keeping files on both public officials and private citizens who have never been charged or arrested.

Death He died March 10, 1987, and the supreme court held a special memorial session June 12 to honor him, with retired Chief Justice Harold R. Fatzer being one of the speakers. His wife Pauline had died before him in 1985 but he was survived by his three children, a son and two daughters.