Maurice Hudson Thatcher (August 15, 1870January 6, 1973) was an American politician and attorney who was the 5th Military Governor of the Panama Canal Zone from 1910 to 1913 and a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

from 1923 to 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 ...

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 List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat, seat of Franklin County, Kentucky, Franklin County in the Upland Sou ...

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 the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of Kentucky, created by the Kentucky Constitution (Ky.Const. § 91). Under Kentucky law, they serve several roles, including the state's chief prosecutor (KRS 15.700), ...

1898–1900 and then moved to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

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 The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending on each side o ...

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 a national park of the United States in south-central Kentucky. It encompasses portions of Mammoth Cave, the longest known cave system in the world. The park's are located primarily in Edmonson County, with sma ...

, Lincoln's birthplace, and the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery. In 1932, he gave up his seat in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Alben W. Barkley for election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

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

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, beginning in 1939 and became its vice president in 1948, a post 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. Under the U.S. Constitution, the officeholder leads the executive bra ...

. 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 (; originally known as the Thatcher Ferry Bridge) is a road bridge in Panama which spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Designed by American civil engineering company Sverdrup & Parcel, it was completed ...

. Thatcher was a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

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, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

, having lived to the age of 102 years and 144 days, behind Elizabeth Hawley Gasque, who lived to the age of 103 years, 249 days.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thatcher, Maurice 1870 births 1973 deaths American prosecutors Governors of the Panama Canal Zone Kentucky lawyers American men centenarians People from Butler County, Kentucky Politicians from Chicago Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky United States Department of Justice lawyers United States military governors 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives