Keith George Sebelius (September 10, 1916 – August 5, 1982) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican. He became active in politics following World War II and was later appointed to the Kansas Senate after narrowly losing two Republican primaries for the House of Representatives. He later entered the House of Representatives where he served for a decade before his death from prostate cancer in 1982. Early life Keith George Sebelius was born on September 10, 1916, in Norton, Kansas to Carl Sebelius, who died when he was seven, and Minnie Sebelius. He grew up in Almena, Kansas and graduated from Almena High School. He attended Fort Hays State University, graduated in 1939, earned a law degree from George Washington University in 1942, and returned to Norton to practice law. During World War II he served in the United States Army and worked for intelligence agencies to detect German U-boats in the Caribbean. Career Early politics Following the end of World War II, he served as a councilor on the Almena city council, and also became mayor of the city. In 1947, he was elected as secretary of the Kansas Young Republicans Club and ran for president of the organization, but was defeated by Paul Lackie. On April 26, 1953, he was selected as the Junior American Legion Commander for the 6th district in Kansas and later became the senior commander in 1954. On September 5, 1955, he was elected as Commander of the Kansas legion by a vote of 494 to 422 against John K. Wells. In 1957, he was elected as president of Norton's Chamber of Commerce. Kansas State Senate On December 10, 1962, Sebelius was selected to replace state Senator William B. Ryan, who stepped down to become a district judge, and was appointed by Governor John Anderson Jr. In 1963, he introduced a bill that would put the entirety of Kansas in the Central Time Zone, but it failed. During the 1964 elections he served as a delegate to the Republican district convention and he announced that he would seek reelection on April 1, 1964. After facing no opposition in the Republican primary Sebelius defeated Democratic nominee Vance Templeton in the general election. House of Representatives Elections Sebelius twice ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives, losing both races by narrow margins. On January 8,