Artemus E. Weatherbee
Encyclopedia
Artemus E. Weatherbee is a former American Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Director of the Asian Development Bank
with the rank of Ambassador.
Weatherbee was born in Bangor, Maine
and attended Bangor High School. A Kirstein scholarship enabled him to attend and graduate from the University of Maine
at Orono, from where he was recruited into the New Deal
administration of Franklin Roosevelt as Chief Appointment and Planning Officer of the Farm Credit Administration
, based in Kansas City, Missouri
. In 1942 he was called to Washington to work as Senior Classification Officer in the Office of Emergency Management
. After joining the Navy in World War II, Weatherbee remained in Washington for the next 28 years, becoming Deputy Assistant Postmaster General (Personnel) in 1957 and then Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (Administration) in 1959.
In 1970, President Richard Nixon
appointed Weatherbee as the American Director of the Asian Development Bank
, based in Manila, with the rank of Ambassador. He served in that post until 1975, when he retired to Maine (first Bangor, and then Kennebunk
). He subsequently became president of the Kennebunkport Chamber of Commerce, and a Trustee of the University of Maine
. The later position often brought him into the newspapers as a lone dissenter or minority vote on board matters. Weatherbee in retirement was an unapologetic conservative. He told the Bangor Daily News on returning from the Philippines, for example, that Ferdinand Marcos
' declaration of martial law had saved Manila from "really complete chaos" and rendered it "once again a beautiful and livable city".
Weatherbee is the recipient of the Alexander Hamilton Award for leadership in the Treasury Dept., as well as the $10,000 Rockefeller Prize.
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
with the rank of Ambassador.
Weatherbee was born in Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
and attended Bangor High School. A Kirstein scholarship enabled him to attend and graduate from the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
at Orono, from where he was recruited into the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
administration of Franklin Roosevelt as Chief Appointment and Planning Officer of the Farm Credit Administration
Farm Credit Administration
The Farm Credit Administration is an independent agency of the Executive Branch of the United States Government. It regulates and examines the banks, associations, and related entities of the Farm Credit System, a network of borrower-owned financial institutions that provide credit to farmers,...
, based in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. In 1942 he was called to Washington to work as Senior Classification Officer in the Office of Emergency Management
Office of Emergency Management
In the United States, an Office of Emergency Management is an agency at the local, state or national level that holds responsibility of comprehensively planning for and responding to all manner of disasters, whether man-made or natural...
. After joining the Navy in World War II, Weatherbee remained in Washington for the next 28 years, becoming Deputy Assistant Postmaster General (Personnel) in 1957 and then Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (Administration) in 1959.
In 1970, President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
appointed Weatherbee as the American Director of the Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
, based in Manila, with the rank of Ambassador. He served in that post until 1975, when he retired to Maine (first Bangor, and then Kennebunk
Kennebunk, Maine
Kennebunk is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,075 people at the 2000 census. Including Kennebunkport , the population totals 14,196 people...
). He subsequently became president of the Kennebunkport Chamber of Commerce, and a Trustee of the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
. The later position often brought him into the newspapers as a lone dissenter or minority vote on board matters. Weatherbee in retirement was an unapologetic conservative. He told the Bangor Daily News on returning from the Philippines, for example, that Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
' declaration of martial law had saved Manila from "really complete chaos" and rendered it "once again a beautiful and livable city".
Weatherbee is the recipient of the Alexander Hamilton Award for leadership in the Treasury Dept., as well as the $10,000 Rockefeller Prize.