Felker lived in Kansas his whole life, having attended Topeka public schools and then Washburn University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1967.

In 2002, Felker was investigated by the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission who charged him with six counts of violating the state's campaign finance laws.

This included allegations that employees of the Topeka Convention and Visitors Bureau filed false travel expense reports and subsequently donated the money to Felker's re-election campaign.

As a result of those violations, and of other alleged misconduct, the Shawnee County district attorney, Robert Hecht, brought an ouster trial against Felker and suspended him from work on October 10, 2003.

In 2005, a second ethical complaint on the same incident was filed by a Kansas state disciplinary panel, this time alleging that he broke rules of professional conduct for lawyers.