George Weller

George H. Weller

Oakland, CA

Formerly of East Lansing

George Herbert Weller, retired U.S. Coast Guard officer and assistant attorney general of Michigan from 1976 to 2002, passed away on May 25th at age 94 in Oakland, California.

Raised in Los Angeles, California, George attended Manual Arts High School and graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1944.  Shortly after graduation, he married the love of his life, Alice Carey, whom he had met at Connecticut College.  George served at sea for many years, transporting GI's to Europe and returning with German POW's in the last year of WWII. With George as deck officer, the icebreaker CGC Eastwind pushed the farthest north of any ship under its own power up to that time (1948), and on its return became the first ship to transit Fury and Hecla Strait. George spent several additional tours of duty on weather patrol in both the North Atlantic and the Pacific.

Sent by the Coast Guard to George Washington University Law School, he received his J.D. in 1957 and subsequently served as USCG legal officer in California, Virginia, and New York.  Committed to social justice, he volunteered in the summers of 1964 and 1965 as a civil rights attorney for the Lawyers' Constitutional Defense Committee in St. Augustine, Florida, and Shreveport, Louisiana.

After leaving the Coast Guard in 1971, George served for five years as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of N.Y.   In 1976 George was hired as an assistant attorney general by Frank Kelly, and George and Alice moved to East Lansing. During twenty-six years in that post, serving first under Attorney General Kelly and then Attorney General Jennifer Granholm, George handled many workers' compensation appeals and also represented the state in cases with constitutional issues. He defended Michigan's statutes raising the drinking age to 21 and regulating lobbyists, and he argued successfully before the U.S. Supreme Court in a landmark "sovereign immunity" case, Will v. Michigan State Police (1989).  In a 2001 newspaper interview, Attorney General Granholm hailed George as "an inspiration" for his diverse legal experience, personal integrity, concern for fellow employees, and the strength of his family values.  In 2002 George retired from the practice of law he loved so much. Although they had a longtime affection for Michigan, George and Alice moved to California to be closer to family.

George Weller was a man of integrity, humility, humor, and courage.  He was a lifelong liberal Democrat and active Catholic, devoted to the community at Saint John parish in East Lansing. George had many interests, including international travel, horseback riding, running, and tap dancing.   Deeply loved by a wide circle of family and friends, George and Alice lent helping hands to countless people and causes over the years. In addition to Alice, George is survived by his son, Stephen Weller, daughter Karen Weller, daughter Valerie Weller and son-in-law Carl Guarneri, son-in-law Kevin McCoy and daughter-in-law Mary Geddes.  His daughter Suzanne Weller passed away in 2000.  He is also survived by more than a dozen beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A celebration of his life will be held in Oakland, California, on August 22nd at 2 p.m. in St. Paul's Towers retirement community.  Donations in his memory may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center.