Herman Wedemeyer's Election
to the Honolulu City Council

Fall, 1968

Articles from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Honolulu Advertiser

Wedemeyer in Race for Council

Advertiser 9/5/68

Former All-American football star Herman Wedemeyer, 44, yesterday filed nomination papers as a Republican at-large candidate for the City Council.

This will be Wedemeyer's first political campaign.

"In the past a lot of people have asked me to seek office and thus to make a contribution to the community," he said. "I've had to weigh this carefully and I feel that I have the time and the ability to devote to the public trust."

Wedemeyer and his wife, Carolyn, live at 4825-B Kahala Ave. He has two children--Mrs. Jon Sutherland of Honolulu and Douglas Wedemeyer, a senior at Whitter College, California.

Wedemeyer, a representative of Del Chemical Corp., attended St. Louis High School and St. Mary's College in Moraga, Calif. It was while playing for St. Mary's as a half back that he was chosen as an All-American in 1945.

After leaving St. Mary's he turned to professional football for two years, playing for his first year with the Los Angeles Dons and for his second with the Baltimore Colts.

In recent years he has been one of Hawaii's top golfers, playing in both national and local tournaments. He was Hawaii's entry in the U.S. Amateur Gold tournament last year.

Ex-football great files for Council

Star-Bulletin 9/5/68

Herman J. Wedemeyer, 44, a former All-American football quarterback at St. Mary's College and now a representative for Del Chemical Corp. is making his first try for public office this year.

He is a Republican at-large candidate for the City Council. Wedemeyer said he had been approached by many people to run for public office before, but declined due to business pressure.

"I feel I have the time and necessary qualifications now," he said.

Wedemeyer formerly was director of sales at the Ilikai Hotel, vice president for public relations and advertising for Associated Innkeepers, and director of interline sales for Hawaiian Airlines.

He attended St. Louis College and St. Mary's College, where he won All-American honors in 1945. He place two years of professional football, with the Los Angeles Dons and the Baltimore Colts.

A colorful, exciting runner, passer, and punter, Wedey was named the top college football player in the nation by the late Grantland Rice in 1945 when he led the Galloping Gaels of St. Mary's into the Sugar Bowl.

He made the All-America backfield that year with Army's famed Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis and Bob Fenimore of Oklahoma A&M.

Wedemeyer turned to golf in recent years and is rated among the state's top amateurs.

Herman Wedemeyer, Republican, Newcomer

Star-Bulletin, 11/6/68

The road to City Hall began for Herman Wedemeyer one fall day on the Polo Grounds in New York City.

He was playing halfback for St. Mary's College and he took a Fordham punt and punted it right back. Because he did that and a lot of other things, Grantland Rice chose him an All-American. Rice was fascinated with Squirmin' Herman's hula hips and his German-Irish-Hawaiian ancestry.

It is no secret or mystery that a fabulous athletic career made Herman Wedemeyer far better known to Island people than any of the other eight people elected to the Council last night.

Wedemeyer played football in the Sugar Bowl, the Shrine Game, for the pro 49ers, Dons, and Colts. He was a boxer, a baseball player and a golfer who only recently played a round with Spiro Agnew and who is rapidly becoming one of the best amateurs in the State.

When the cheers died down Wedemeyer remained before the public as a salesman, a public relations man for hotels, airlines, and others. He is now with Del Chemical Corp.

Herman was born in Hilo 44 years ago, became a football star for coach Neal S. Blaisdell at St. Louis and became a college star despite the fact that he once broke an ankle skiing at Lake Tahoe.

So great was his impact on college football that MGM studios once considered making a movie about his life.

Wedemeyer's wife Carolyn is his second and his kid brother Charley is a football player today at Michigan State.

What does Herman want to do in politics?

He believes in person-to-person relationships with those who want City Hall to do things and he's concerned about the need for a stadium. He knows a transit system is needed and he's worried about juvenile delinquency.

Not too long ago Wedemeyer fired a hole-in-one on a golf course. In his first shot at politics, he did the same thing.