Jennifer McDaniel

By Jennifer McDanielOttawa Herald
Former Kansas Gov. John Carlin remembers the day he first met George Wingert Sr.
It was January 1971 — the first day of the Kansas legislative session — and both men were starting their freshmen years in the Kansas Legislature. But what at first appeared as the beginning of newly won political careers in Topeka became the start of a friendship spanning decades.
Carlin, now retired and living in Manhattan, talked about his friend and colleague who died last week at the age of 92.
Carlin, who ran for a seat in the Kansas House of Representatives in 1970, served as speaker of the house from 1977-1979. In 1979, he was elected governor of Kansas, a seat he retained until 1987.
“(George) was with me through my fourth term when I was speaker of the house,” Carlin said. “When I was governor, I appointed George to the Kansas Board of Regents. We’ve been friends ever since.”
The two had several things in common, he said. They were both Kansas State University graduates, who majored in animal husbandry a few years apart. They were both members of ag-related fraternities at K-State — Carlin was a member of Farmhouse while Wingert’s fraternity was Alpha Gamma Rho. They also had agricultural connections — Carlin had purebred, registered Holsteins, while Wingert was on the beef side of pedigreed cattle breeding.
Wingert served four terms in the Kansas House, leading several committees, including chair of the Governmetal Organization Committee and vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee.
“George and I were very good friends and stayed that way, but, as I said, when I was speaker, we had 65 Democrats, which meant when it came to something partisan, I could only lose two votes,” Carlin said. “And, invariably, George was one of them. George was a good Democrat, but he was a conservative Democrat and was loyal to being conservative. He wasn’t going to go back to Ottawa not having represented the thinking of Franklin County, and it didn’t interfere with our friendship.”
Later on, Wingert was hired as a lobbyist from 2005-2020, capping off 50 years in politics.
“George stayed connected in state government and did a lot of lobbying, so he was always interested,” Carlin said. “He was always there during the legislative session. He was also a contact for me as to what was going on, what was he picking up on...he was always a source of information legislatively and politically. He kept a lot of contacts nationwide, business-wise and politically.”
As the years passed, Carlin said the two continued to stay in touch. Anytime Wingert was in Manhattan, he’d give Carlin a call to get together at a local restaurant to catch up over a cup of coffee.
“He was a great friend,” he said. “A great human being. A leader of a family who contributed in a variety of ways and significantly. He was someone you could look up to and be proud of that you at least had a friendship with him because he and his family were successful and did good things and they were just good people.”
For John Coen, Wingert was a longtime friend who shepherded him throughout his professional career.
“He was a great mentor of mine through the years,” Coen, former CEO and executive director of the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce, said. “I remember when I was a boy he ran for the state Legislature for the first time and was elected as a Democrat in a Republican county, which says something about his ability to cross party lines and just be the support the community needed.”
Years later when Wingert was a lobbyist in Topeka, Coen, who spent three sessions in the state capital, regularly sought him out.
“I would see George out on a regular basis just for the lay of the land,” he said. “He always knew who was talking about what and what was moving forward and what wasn’t. He had a special knack for that. He had a network of friends he built over many, many years. He was always able to point me in the right direction, and I always appreciated that.”
Like Carlin, Coen said he and Wingert remained good friends years later.
“After we both came back to Ottawa, we still would get together on a regular basis,” he said. “We would have coffee at least once a month. I’d see him in the library reading all the papers and we’d sit and visit. We’d talk about politics mostly, local, state and national...He always knew what was going on at the state and national level because he had a lot of contacts.”
Looking back, Coen said Wingert was always thinking of ways to help his community — even if it wasn’t widely known.
“George did a lot for this community that people don’t even realize,” he said. “A lot of work behind the scenes like (U.S. Highway) 59 bypass. You know, he was a lobbyist and had the ability to help the community out behind the scenes.
“Although he wasn’t formally a lobbyist for Franklin County, if he saw something that benefited the county, he would talk to people and help them make the right decision.”
As a politician, Coen said Wingert wouldn’t hesitate to work across the aisle to get something accomplished; representing all the best about politics.
“He represented the type of politics we have to get back to if there’s ever to be sanity again,” he said. “...It’s the type of politics that used to exist and now doesn’t even seem present.”
“It was an important part of his work. He always loved Ottawa and loved Franklin County and worked hard toward the betterment of the community and for the community.”
Coen can’t help but feel the loss of a friend who was there for so many years.
“I’m going to miss him a lot,” he said. “Like I said, he was a mentor. He was always about doing the right thing. He was a great person for this community.”

TOPEKA — Five Franklin County educators have been recognized as nominees for the 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year program.