Born in Lockney, Texas December 09, 1918.
He grew up in Slaton where he was a member of
his high school debate team and president of his
senior class. His father, Gilford Edgar Welch,
was an automobile mechanic. His mother, the
former Nora Shackleford, taught a Bible study at
the Church of Christ which the family attended.
Welch studied history in Abilene, Texas, at
Abilene Christian College, now Abilene Christian
University, where he was a varsity cheerleader
and a member of Phi Delta Psi social club. In
1940, he received his Bachelor of Arts in
history. He was married on December 17, 1940 to
his first wife, Iola Faye Cure, in a ceremony
performed by Homer Hailey, a professor at
Abilene Christian .
Welch served as the Mayor of Houston, Texas
from 1964 to 1973. Welch was known for his quick
West Texas quips which made clear to the media
he would stand up for what he believed was
right.
Houston grew immensely when Welch was mayor.
In 1963, Houston's population reached over one
million people, yet was then still considered a
"small" city in the eyes of the national media.
Under Welch, several events put Houston
prominently on the U.S. and world maps,
including the opening of the Astrodome in 1965
and the Houston Intercontinental Airport in
1969. NASA at nearby Mission Control sent a man
to the moon. Lake Conroe and Lake Livingston
opened to provide water for Houston. Welch also
closed forty inefficient sewage treatment
plants, began cleaning up the Houston Ship
Channel, focused on bayou beautification; and
began development of the downtown Civic Center,
among other accomplishments. Welch was the first
Houston mayor to win all precincts during one of
his reelections, including predominantly African
American areas with which some claim he had
trouble.
By the time that he left office in 1973,
Houston was within two years of supplanting
Detroit to become the fifth largest city in the
United States in 1975, and in the fall of 1980,
the fourth.
Louie Welch died of lung cancer in January
27, 2008 in Harris County, Texas |