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Presidential Citizens Medal Recipient William H. Natcher
"Today is the day that I will probably cast my 18,000th vote in the Congress. This is the all-time record in the history of the Congress and I am positive I could not do it again."
Congressman William H. Natcher never missed a vote! Between 1953 and 1994, William H. Natcher of Bowling Green, Kentucky, served as a distinguished United States Representative. He also dictated a total of 59 daily journals with rich descriptions of his impressions of his contemporary presidents and legislators.
President Bill Clinton and William H. Natcher
WILLIAM H. NATCHER FEDERAL BUILDING AND UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE -- HON. JULIAN C. DIXON
(Extension of Remarks - July 01, 1994)
in the House of Representatives
MONDAY, JUNE 27, 1994 - Mr. DIXON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill (H.R. 4577) introduced by Congressman James Traficant, to name the Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Bowling Green, KY after the Honorable William H. Natcher, who died March 29, 1994.
- Former Appropriations Chairman Natcher was the guardian of our appropriations legislation, and a champion for the values and ethics that are essential to the success of this institution. In 1978 I was named to serve on the Appropriations Committee and found the chairman to be extremely helpful in guiding me through the appropriations process. As many of you may be aware, Mr. Natcher chaired the Appropriations Subcommittee on the District of Columbia--the subcommittee which I now chair. In 1979, he was elected chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. As the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Mr. Natcher was chosen to chair the Appropriations Committee following a long illness by then-Appropriations Chairman Jamie Whitten. He chaired the committee and subcommittee until his death.
- Chairman Natcher was a true southern gentleman, an esteemed public servant, and rare politician. His modest demeanor belied the tremendous influence he wielded in Congress. One could always find Mr. Natcher working in his office in the Rayburn House Office Building or in his subcommittee office in the U.S. Capitol. He never missed a rollcall vote until he became seriously ill earlier this year. Chairman Natcher set a world voting record of 18,401 consecutive votes. In recognition of his many accomplishments, President Bill Clinton awarded Mr. Natcher the Presidential Citizens Medal in March of this year.
- Congressman Natcher was an exceptional politician in other ways. He accepted no campaign contributions. Instead, Mr. Natcher would place a few newspaper advertisements announcing his candidacy. He also prided himself on remaining in direct contact with his constituents, often driving from town to town to meet with them personally.
- Throughout his tenure in Congress and as chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, Mr. Natcher was a staunch supporter of programs to improve education in rural and urban communities, and provide quality, affordable health care. He was an advocate for providing funds for medical research, and supported funding for the job corps and training of displaced workers. It is clear that Chairman Natcher placed his mark on this Nation's social policy.
- Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in supporting H.R. 4577, which will be named in honor of the distinguished career and leadership of Honorable William H. Natcher. Chairman Natcher served nobly in the U.S. Congress for over 40 years, and his reputation as the consummate, committed statesman remains a challenge to all of us.
William H. Natcher, wife Virginia Reardon Natcher and daughters Louise (left) and Celeste (right) in 1953 during his first term of office in the U. S. House of Representatives.
Awarding of the Doctor of Laws Honorary Degree to William H. Natcher by Western Kentucky University..... there was a tremendous crowd at the football stadium where the graduation ceremony was held...... when called upon to say a few words after accepting the Honorary Degree, I thanked a number of the teachers who had meant so much to me when I was a student at Western.... These people are all dead now but were outstanding teachers and people who left a great impression on all of their students." August 10, 1979
President Bill Clinton speaks at Rep. William H. Natchers Funeral
Eastwood Baptist Church - Bowling Green, Kentucky
THE PRESIDENT: To the family of our friend, Bill Natcher; Mr. Speaker, Governor, distinguished Members of Congress. All those who have preceded me on the program: Reverend Welch (phonetic); Reverend Bridges, thank you for that wonderful sermon; Mr. Orndorff (phonetic), thank you for making us laugh and for being so wise.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for proving that Reverend Bridges was right -- there are still noble and good people in public life in America. Thank you all for making my role almost completely irrelevant. There is hardly anything else left to say.
I think I would like to tell you two things about Bill Natcher from my point of view. The country doesn't work very well in tough times when difficult decisions have to be made if the President cannot work with the Congress.
We faced an enormously difficult position, Bill Natcher and I did, when I became President and he took the reins of the Appropriations Committee. Our country was drowning in debt, our deficit had been going up, our national debt had tripled in 12 years, and yet, every person who studied the issue knew that there were some things we needed to invest even more money in. You heard people talk already today about the National Institute of Health, the need we had to make the changes so that our country could go into the next century and more Bill Natchers would have a chance to make their way in life.
We had to find a way to bridle this debt and then invest more in education and in scientific research, and in making the transition from a defense to a domestic, high-technology economy. And all that fell on the shoulders of the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
I said to myself -- I didn't know Mr. Natcher when I became President -- I knew about him; nearly everybody in American politics did -- everybody's asking: Can this young guy from Arkansas who has only been a governor, never been in Congress be president, and I'm saying: Can a man who doesn't own a fax machine run the Appropriations Committee? (Laughter.)
Well, let me tell you -- he came to see me one day and we sat alone in the Oval Office, and he almost held my hand, which is just about what I needed. (Laughter.) And he said, now, Mr. President -- how many of you heard him say that to you, right -- (laughter) -- now, we're going to get through this alright, and you're going to make some hard decisions and I'm going to help you. And then if we're real lucky, we'll get it through the Congress. (Laughter.) And you will have to be willing to be misunderstood for a while, which I thought was a delicate way of putting the position I was in. (Laughter.)
But he said, the end will bring us out alright. And, sure enough, he set about doing his work. And he worked with all of the members in the Congress and figured out some way or another to produce a budget that both brought the deficit down and spent more money on things that were critical to our future.
It was a service to the nation that those of you here in his home district made possible. And it was a remarkable thing, a great gift that he helped to give to our country. And it was very, very hard to do. And I agree with the Speaker: it will affect people's lives in ways that are even more important than the shining example he set by never missing a vote and by being able to be in such harmony with his constituents that he never had to raise money or spend it, or campaign or politic in ways that those of us who are more mortal have to do. And I thank him for that.
The other thing I thank him for, which may have an enduring benefit to the country is far more personal. You heard the Speaker talk about how he was the Chairman of the Gym Committee, and they have this dinner every year. And, you know, I read all about how I spend too much time at McDonald's, and so I'm always trying to watch my weight in there. But I never wanted to offend Mr. Natcher. So I show up at his dinner and he takes me to be seated, and he lays a big steak and a baked potato, and peach cobbler there. (Laughter.) And by the time he got through talking to me, I not only did not offend him, he had talked me into having two of everything. (Laughter.)
And he talked some more, and our relationship developed some more. And then when he got terribly ill, I went out to Bethesda to see him, and I had the great honor of being there and presented him with the President's Citizens Medal. And I pinned it on his pajamas and I talked to him about his life.
And I thought to myself: Why is it that I am so moved by this man? What is it that he has done -- not just the votes and the no contributions and all that -- what is it that he has done that, if the rest of us could do it, we could really be true to the founders of this country, true to the challenges of our time. We could bring more harmony and a stronger sense of community to our people. What is it, exactly?
And I think what is was is that he found a way to live in Washington and work in politics and still be exactly the way he would have been if he'd been here in Bowling Green running a hardware store. And this country works well when people in Washington treat each other the way they would have to treat each other if they were living in Bowling Green. And it doesn't work very well when everybody up there thinks, oh, this is a different place, and we have to treat each other differently, and we have to muscle each other around, and we have to posture rather than produce. And we're all so worried because we're bound to be misunderstood, being filtered to 250-plus million people, so that all of our positions on complicated issues get simplified and often distorted.
But, somehow, Bill Natcher just had enough internal strength and coherence. Maybe he was just enough old-fashioned that he literally was able to live every day as he would have lived if he'd been here all the time. That was the beauty of his legacy. And if the rest of us can remember that about him, even if we miss a few votes or have to go out and raise campaign contributions, if we can just imagine the roots that we had, the childhood friends that we had, who always reminded us of our foibles as well as our strengths, if we can remember what the church choir sounds like on Sunday, even on Sundays when we don't show up, and every day imagine that we were living where the people who sent us to Washington still live, then we could do something really precious for Bill Natcher. We could do for the American people what he would have done had he lived another 84 years.
God bless you, Mr. Natcher, and thank you.
END3:10 P.M. EDT
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Citizens Medal History
