He was born in Amherstburg, Ontario,[1] the son of Charles Bernard Whelan and Frances Kelly,[2] and was educated in local schools and at the Toronto Technical School. Whelan took over the operation of the family farm following the death of his father. Later, he worked as a machinist in automobile plants in Windsor. Whelan moved to Saskatchewan in 1943 and took up farming there. In 1948, he married Pemrose Henry. Whelan served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Mineral Resources and as Minister of Consumer Affairs.[1]
With his wife, he published a book on the life of Tommy Douglas, Touched by Tommy.[3]
^ abc"Hansard"(PDF). Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. March 10, 2008. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
^Normandin, Pierre G (1963). Canadian Parliamentary Guide.
^Ed Whelan; Pemrose Whelan (1990). Touched By Tommy : Stories of Hope and Humour About Canada's Most Loved Political Leader, T.C. Douglas. Regina: Whelan Publications. p. 138. ISBN0-9694622-0-4.