Maurice Hudson Thatcher (August 15, 1870January 6, 1973) was a U.S. Congressman. Thatcher was elected to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in 1922 from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

. He served until 1933.

Biography

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Thatcher's family moved to

Butler County, Kentucky Butler County is a county located in the US state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 12,371. Its county seat is Morgantown. The county was formed in 1810, becoming Kentucky's 53rd county. Butler County is included in the B ...

in 1874 and settled near Morgantown. Thatcher worked in farming, on a newspaper and in county offices. He was elected the circuit court clerk for Butler County in 1892 and served from January 1, 1893, until his resignation in 1896. He studied law in

Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, and the seat of Franklin County. It is a home rule-class city; the population was 28,602 at the 2020 census. Located along the Kentucky River, Frankfort is the pri ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1898, commencing his law practice in Frankfort. Thatcher was an Assistant

Attorney General of Kentucky The Attorney General of Kentucky is an office created by the Kentucky Constitution. (Ky.Const. § 91). Under Kentucky law, they serve several roles, including the state's chief prosecutor (KRS 15.700), the state's chief law enforcement officer ( ...

1898–1900 and then moved to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

in 1900. He was an Assistant

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the Western District of Kentucky from 1901 to 1906 and a state inspector and examiner for Kentucky 1908–1910. Thatcher was also a member of the Isthmian Canal Commission and governor of the Canal Zone from 1909 to 1913. Thatcher was the Commission's longest-lived and last surviving member. During his congressional tenure, he guided the passage of several Kentucky landmarks and parks:

Mammoth Cave National Park Mammoth Cave National Park is an American national park in west-central Kentucky, encompassing portions of Mammoth Cave, the longest cave system known in the world. Since the 1972 unification of Mammoth Cave with the even-longer system under F ...

, Lincoln's birthplace, and the

Zachary Taylor National Cemetery Zachary Taylor National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located at 4701 Brownsboro Road ( US-42), in Louisville, Kentucky. It is named for Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, who is buried there with his wife, M ...

. In 1932, he gave up his seat in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat

Alben W. Barkley Alben William Barkley (; November 24, 1877 – April 30, 1956) was an American lawyer and politician from Kentucky who served in both houses of Congress and as the 35th vice president of the United States from 1949 to 1953 under Presiden ...

for election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

. Thatcher served on the general counsel of the Gorgas Memorial Institute of Tropical and Preventative Medicine, Inc.,

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

beginning in 1939 and became its vice president in 1948, a post which he held until 1969 when he was made honorary president, a position previously reserved for

Presidents of the United States The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government an ...

. In 1962, the first bridge connecting both sides of the Panama Canal was named after him: Thatcher Ferry Bridge. In 1979, the name was officially changed to the

Bridge of the Americas The Bridge of the Americas ( es, Puente de las Américas; originally known as the Thatcher Ferry Bridge) is a road bridge in Panama which spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Designed by Sverdrup & Parcel, it was completed in 1962 at ...

Legacy

As of 2017, he is the second-longest lived person to have served in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...

, having lived to the age of 102 years and 144 days, behind

Elizabeth Hawley Gasque Elizabeth Gasque Van Exem (February 26, 1886 – November 2, 1989), named Elizabeth Hawley Gasque during her tenure in Congress, was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 6th congressional district f ...

, who lived to the age of 103 years, 249 days.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thatcher, Maurice 1870 births 1973 deaths American centenarians American prosecutors Governors of the Panama Canal Zone Kentucky lawyers Men centenarians Politicians from Chicago United States Department of Justice lawyers United States military governors People from Butler County, Kentucky Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky