View source for William Natcher

{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = William Natcher
| image               = William Natcher color.jpg
| office              = Chair of the [[United States House Committee on Appropriations|House Appropriations Committee]]
| caption             = Natcher {{circa|1970s}}
| term_start          = January 3, 1993
| term_end            = March 29, 1994
| predecessor         = [[Jamie Whitten]]
| successor           = [[Dave Obey]]
| state1              = [[Kentucky]]
| district1           = {{ushr|KY|2|2nd}}
| term_start1         = August 1, 1953
| term_end1           = March 29, 1994
| predecessor1        = [[Garrett Withers]]
| successor1          = [[Ron Lewis]]
| birth_name          = William Houston Natcher
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1909|9|11}}
| birth_place         = [[Bowling Green, Kentucky]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1994|3|29|1909|9|11}}
| death_place         = [[Bethesda, Maryland]], U.S.
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| module              = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Rep. William H. Natcher on the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1989.ogg|title=William Natcher's voice|type=speech|description=Natcher speaks on FY1989 appropriations for labor, health, and education<br/>Recorded June 15, 1988}}
}}
'''William Huston Natcher''' (September 11, 1909 &ndash; March 29, 1994) was a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] congressman, serving in the [[United States House of Representatives]] from 1953 until his death from heart failure in [[Bethesda, Maryland]] in 1994.<ref>{{cite news| title=William H. Natcher Dies at 84; Held Voting Record in Congress |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/31/obituaries/william-h-natcher-dies-at-84-held-voting-record-in-congress.html |work=New York Times |date=March 31, 1994}}</ref> He is the second longest-serving member ever of the United States House of Representatives from the Commonwealth of [[Kentucky]].

==Early life==
Natcher was born on September 11, 1909, in [[Bowling Green, Kentucky]]. Natcher received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree at Western Kentucky State College (now [[Western Kentucky University]]) in Bowling Green in 1930 and an [[LL.B.]] from the [[Ohio State University]] in [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]] in 1933. Natcher married in 1937, and had two daughters.<ref>[https://www.library.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/cl224.htm William H. Natcher papers] — Georgetown University</ref>

Natcher practiced law in Bowling Green. From 1936 to 1937 he was U.S. Conciliation Commissioner for Kentucky's Western District, and he served as [[Warren County, Kentucky|Warren County]] [[County Attorney|Attorney]] from 1938 to 1950. Natcher was President of Kentucky's Young Democratic Clubs from 1941 to 1946.

He served in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]]. From 1951 to 1953 Natcher was [[Commonwealth's Attorney]] for Kentucky's Eighth Judicial District.

==Congressional career==
He was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives in 1953 from the [[Kentucky's 2nd congressional district|2nd 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rollcall.com/news/Susan-Collins-Casts-5000th-Vote-Without-a-Miss-216098-1.html |title = Susan Collins Casts 5,000th Vote Without a Miss - Roll Call}}</ref> Natcher refused to accept campaign contributions. He was also chairman of the [[House Appropriations Committee]] from 1993 to 1994. His knowledge of House rules in debate led House Speaker [[Tip O'Neill]] to employ him as presiding officer during crucial debates.

Natcher did not sign the 1956 [[Southern Manifesto]], and voted in favor of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1960|Civil Rights Acts of 1960]] and [[Civil Rights Act of 1968|1968]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/86-1960/h102|title=HR 8601. PASSAGE. -- House Vote #102 -- Mar 24, 1960|website=GovTrack.us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/90-1967/h113|title=TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR … -- House Vote #113 -- Aug 16, 1967|website=GovTrack.us}}</ref> as well as the [[Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution]] and the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/87-1962/h193|title=S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS.|work=GovTrack.us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/89-1965/h87|title=TO PASS H.R. 6400, THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT. -- House Vote #87 -- Jul 9, 1965|website=GovTrack.us}}</ref> but voted against the [[Civil Rights Act of 1957|Civil Rights Acts of 1957]] and [[Civil Rights Act of 1964|1964]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/88-1964/h128|title=H.R. 7152. PASSAGE. -- House Vote #128 -- Feb 10, 1964|website=GovTrack.us}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/85-1957/h42|title=HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957.|work=GovTrack.us}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ky. congressman arrives on gurney for House vote |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1994/03/03/ky-congressman-arrives-on-gurney-for-house-vote/ |access-date=May 27, 2024 |work=Tampa Bay Times |date=March 3, 1994}}</ref> He missed the first vote of his career the next day, when doctors advised him not to return to the Capitol.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Seelye |first1=Katharine |title=The Iron Man of Congress Ends a Streak in Absentia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/04/us/the-iron-man-of-congress-ends-a-streak-in-absentia.html |access-date=May 27, 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=March 4, 1994}}</ref> He died a few weeks later, never having returned to the House floor again.

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 the [[Washington Metro]] system, delaying its construction until 1973, when he lost a vote to block Metro funding.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=vDQI-02wki0C&dq=great+society+subway&pg=PP1 The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro] - Zachary M. Schrag</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2004/11/01/wheres-metro-going/|title=Where's Metro Going? - Washingtonian|date=November 1, 2004}}</ref>

In addition, Natcher sought construction of the controversial [[Three Sisters Bridge (District of Columbia)|Three Sisters Bridge]], demanding the project begin construction before funds could be released to WMATA. Eventually, a coalition of Congressmen led by [[Robert Giaimo]]<ref>Zachary Schrag, 139</ref> circumvented Natcher, preventing construction of the Bridge.<ref>Zachary Schrag, 140.</ref>

On March 4, 1994, Natcher was presented with the [[Presidential Citizens Medal]] by [[President of the United States]] [[Bill Clinton]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-the-death-representative-william-h-natcher|title=Statement on the Death of Representative William H. Natcher &#124; The American Presidency Project|website=www.presidency.ucsb.edu}}</ref> He continued to serve in Congress until his death on March 29, 1994, in [[Bethesda, Maryland]].

===Legacy===
Natcher was a champion of road projects within Kentucky, especially the construction of a [[cable-stayed bridge]] between Kentucky and [[Indiana]] near [[Owensboro, Kentucky|Owensboro]]. Natcher helped get the majority of federal funding for the new bridge, which now carries [[U.S. Highway 231]] across the [[Ohio River]] between [[Maceo, Kentucky]] and [[Rockport, Indiana]]. The [[William H. Natcher Bridge]] was named in his honor before he died, although it was not completed until 2002.

Also named in Natcher's honor is [[Interstate 165 (Kentucky)|Interstate 165]], the '''William H. Natcher Expressway''', a Kentucky [[Interstate highway]] (formerly a [[toll road]]) that runs between Bowling Green and Owensboro. From its 1972 opening until 1997, the road was known as the [[Green River Parkway]], then the [[William H. Natcher Parkway]] until the Interstate designation was granted to the road in 2019.

Building 45 of the [[National Institutes of Health]] (NIH) in [[Bethesda, 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.

==See also==
* [[List of members of the United States Congress by longevity of service]]
* [[List of members of the United States Congress who died in office (1950–1999)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{CongBio|N000009}}
* {{C-SPAN|13853}}

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{{US House succession box
| state=Kentucky
| district=2
| before=[[Garrett L. Withers]]
| after=[[Ron Lewis]]
| years=1953–1994
}}
{{succession box
|title=Chairman of the [[United States House Committee on Appropriations|House Appropriations Committee]]
|before=[[Jamie L. Whitten|Jamie Whitten]]<br>Mississippi
|years=1993–1994
|after=[[Dave Obey]]<br>Wisconsin
}}
{{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Natcher, William Huston}}
[[Category:1909 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:Western Kentucky University alumni]]
[[Category:Presidential Citizens Medal recipients]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Politicians from Bowling Green, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Ohio State University Moritz College of Law alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century Kentucky politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century United States representatives]]
[[Category:Kentucky commonwealth's attorneys]]
[[Category:Kentucky county attorneys]]