Background
The son of United States Army Colonel Wyatt G. Franks, Heyburn was born Weldon Heyburn Franks September 19, 1903, in Washington, District of Columbia (Another source says he was born in Selma, Alabama)
In the 1920s, Heyburn represented himself as "the son of Charles Heyburn, judge of the United States Supreme Court" and "the nephew of Weldon Heyburn, the late Senator of Iowa." The senator"s niece denied any kinship, saying in 1925 that Heyburn was "an impostor if he persists in his claims," with other members of the family supporting her assertion.