William Natcher | |
|---|---|
 Natcherc. 1970s | |
| Chair of theHouse Appropriations Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1993 – March 29, 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Jamie Whitten |
| Succeeded by | Dave Obey |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromKentucky's2nd district | |
| In office August 1, 1953 – March 29, 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Garrett Withers |
| Succeeded by | Ron Lewis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Houston Natcher (1909-09-11)September 11, 1909 Bowling Green, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | March 29, 1994(1994-03-29) (aged 84) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
Natcher speaks on FY1989 appropriations for labor, health, and education Recorded June 15, 1988 | |
William Huston Natcher (September 11, 1909 – March 29, 1994) was aDemocratic congressman, serving in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1953 until his death from heart failure inBethesda, Maryland in 1994.[1] He is the second longest-serving member ever of the United States House of Representatives from the Commonwealth ofKentucky.
Natcher was born on September 11, 1909, inBowling Green, Kentucky. Natcher received aBachelor of Arts degree at Western Kentucky State College (nowWestern Kentucky University) in Bowling Green in 1930 and anLL.B. from theOhio State University inColumbus in 1933. Natcher married in 1937, and had two daughters.[2]
Natcher practiced law in Bowling Green. From 1936 to 1937 he was U.S. Conciliation Commissioner for Kentucky's Western District, and he served asWarren CountyAttorney from 1938 to 1950. Natcher was President of Kentucky's Young Democratic Clubs from 1941 to 1946.
He served in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. From 1951 to 1953 Natcher wasCommonwealth's Attorney for Kentucky's Eighth Judicial District.
He was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives in 1953 from the2nd district. He cast 18,401 consecutive roll-call votes between 1953 and 1994, never missing a single roll call vote over his forty-one-year Congressional career until his last days in office, the all-time record for both the House of Representatives and Congress as a whole.[3] Natcher refused to accept campaign contributions. He was also chairman of theHouse Appropriations Committee from 1993 to 1994. His knowledge of House rules in debate led House SpeakerTip O'Neill to employ him as presiding officer during crucial debates.
Natcher did not sign the 1956Southern Manifesto, and voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1960 and1968,[4][5] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and theVoting Rights Act of 1965,[6][7] but voted against theCivil Rights Acts of 1957 and1964.[8][9]
Natcher holds the record for the longest perfect voting record in the history of Congress. He did not miss a single vote for nearly the entirety of his 40 years of service, casting 18,401 consecutive votes from his 1953 swearing to his last appearance on the House floor on March 3, 1994. On the day of his last vote, he arrived at the Capitol from Bethesda Naval Hospital by ambulance and was wheeled onto the House floor on a gurney.[10] He missed the first vote of his career the next day, when doctors advised him not to return to the Capitol.[11] He died a few weeks later, never having returned to the House floor again.
On March 4, 1994, Natcher was presented with thePresidential Citizens Medal byPresident of the United StatesBill Clinton.[12] He continued to serve in Congress until his death on March 29, 1994, inBethesda, Maryland.
Natcher was a champion of road projects within Kentucky, especially the construction of acable-stayed bridge between Kentucky andIndiana nearOwensboro. Natcher helped get the majority of federal funding for the new bridge, which now carriesU.S. Highway 231 across theOhio River betweenMaceo, Kentucky andRockport, Indiana. TheWilliam H. Natcher Bridge was named in his honor before he died, although it was not completed until 2002.
Also named in Natcher's honor isInterstate 165, theWilliam H. Natcher Expressway, a KentuckyInterstate highway (formerly atoll road) that runs between Bowling Green and Owensboro. From its 1972 opening until 1997, the road was known as theGreen River Parkway, then theWilliam H. Natcher Parkway until the Interstate designation was granted to the road in 2019.
Building 45 of theNational Institutes of Health (NIH) inBethesda, Maryland, is named in his honor.
During his congressional career, Natcher was a passionate believer in libraries and literacy. He fought for continued federal funding for library construction and initiatives. These programs continue today; the Kentucky Library Association presents the William H. Natcher Award annually for acts of philanthropy and support of libraries within the Commonwealth.
Natcher was a pro-highway Congressman, encouraging road projects, including in the District of Columbia. From 1970 to 1973, he repeatedly held up funding for theWashington Metro system, delaying its construction until 1973, when he lost a vote to block Metro funding.[13] Natcher refused to allow federal funding for the Washington DC Metro until Arlington County officials agreed to have I-66 go through North Arlington neighborhoods.[14]
In addition, Natcher sought construction of the controversialThree Sisters Bridge, demanding the project begin construction before funds could be released to WMATA. Eventually, a coalition of Congressmen led byRobert Giaimo[15] circumvented Natcher, preventing construction of the Bridge.[16]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromKentucky's 2nd congressional district 1953–1994 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Jamie Whitten Mississippi | Chairman of theHouse Appropriations Committee 1993–1994 | Succeeded by Dave Obey Wisconsin |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
