Throwback Thursday: William H. Natcher
This week we honor William Huston Natcher, a familiar name around southern Kentucky. We’re here at the Natcher footbridge in Bowling Green at the junction of Mt. Moriah, Fairview and St. Joseph cemeteries. A U.S. congressman who served Kentucky’s second district for 41 years, Natcher’s legacy lives on in many ways.
William H. Natcher was born in Bowling Green in 1909. With degrees from Western Kentucky State College and Ohio State, he practiced law in Bowling Green for two decades.
He was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1953. Natcher holds the record for most consecutive roll-call votes, casting 18,401 straight votes until his term ended in 1994.
During his time in office, Natcher was a champion of transportation developments. In 1997, his name was dedicated on the Natcher Parkway running from Bowling Green to Owensboro. Completed in 2002, the Natcher Bridge in Owensboro spans the Ohio River.
His name is also on the courthouse and federal building in Bowling Green. And dedicated in 1990, Natcher Elementary School opened. Natcher was a believer in the power of literacy, pushing for library construction and education. The Kentucky Library Association presents the William H. Natcher award every year for contributions to literacy in the state.
President Bill Clinton presented Natcher with the Presidential Citizen Award in March of 1994, just a few weeks before Natcher’s death. President Clinton traveled to Bowling Green to give a eulogy at Eastwood Baptist Church at Natcher’s funeral.
