Ken Hechler
Encyclopedia
Kenneth William Hechler (born September 20, 1914) is an American
politician. A member of the Democratic Party
, he represented West Virginia
in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1959 to 1977 and was West Virginia Secretary of State from 1985 to 2001.
on September 20, 1914. He holds a BA from Swarthmore College
, and an MA and PhD from Columbia University
in history and government. Hechler served on the faculty of Columbia University, Princeton University
, and Barnard College
in the pre-war years.
Hechler held a series of minor appointed positions in the federal civil service until he was drafted into the United States Army
during World War II
. After graduation from Armored Force Officer Candidate School, he was assigned as a combat historian in the European Theater of Operations, and following the war was assigned to interview many of the defendants prior to the Nuremberg Trials
, including Hermann Göring
.
He was also attached to the 9th Armored Division when one of its infantry-tank task forces captured the Ludendorff Bridge
spanning the Rhine river at Remagen, Germany. He interviewed several of both the US and German soldiers involved, and in 1957 published the book The Bridge at Remagen which was adapted into a film
in 1969.
He then was a White House
assistant to Harry S. Truman
from 1949 to 1953 and Research Director for Adlai Stevenson's 1956 campaign. From 1953-1957 he was associate director of the American Political Science Association in Washington, DC. Hechler then was appointed to the faculty at Marshall College (now Marshall University
) in Huntington, West Virginia
. He ran for United States House of Representatives
from West Virginia's Fourth Congressional District, which then included Huntington and many unionized mill towns along the Ohio River
north of that industrial city, in 1958. He won a narrow victory by 3,500 votes.
In Congress, he earned a reputation as a liberal Democrat and in 1965, he was the only member of Congress to march with Dr. Martin Luther King at Selma, Alabama
. He was the principal architect of the Coal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969
, which for the first time put a ceiling on the amount of respirable coal dust
allowed in coal mines, and stipulated stringent safety regulations. He faced little opposition in Democratic primaries and was reelected eight times.
and Beckley
. The 5th had been represented by Democrat James Kee
of Bluefield since 1965, and members of his family had held the district continuously since 1933. On paper, the new district favored Kee, who retained 65 percent of his former territory. However, Hechler routed him in the Democratic primary by almost 26 points and easily won reelection in November. He was reelected in 1974 after being unopposed in the primary and general election.
. Rahall was a follower and former staffer for Robert Byrd
. He lost to Rahall in a close election, taking 36 percent of the vote and pushing the Republican candidate into third place, and lost again to Rahall in the Democratic primary of 1978. Following these unsuccessful political bids, Hechler resumed his teaching career at Marshall University, the University of Charleston
and West Virginia State University
.
As Secretary of State, in 1985 he moved his legal residence to Charleston
. Charleston is located in the 2nd District, which was vacated in 2000 by nine-term Democrat Bob Wise
, who was running for governor. He lost a three-way Democratic primary bid for that seat. In 2000, he walked 530 miles in joining Doris Haddock ("Granny D
") in her cross country walk on behalf of campaign finance reform, shortly before the passage of the McCain-Feingold Act
.
In 2004 he ran yet again for his old post as Secretary of State. This time, he won the Democratic primary by a plurality, but lost the general election to Republican Betty Ireland
.
, running in the primary against Gov. Joe Manchin
. Hechler indicated that his primary goal in entering the race is to draw attention to the devastating impact of mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia. Hechler lost to Manchin, with less than 20% of the vote. He endorsed Jesse Johnson of the Mountain Party
for the Senate seat.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician. A member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, he represented West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1959 to 1977 and was West Virginia Secretary of State from 1985 to 2001.
Early life and military service
Hechler was born in Roslyn, New YorkRoslyn, New York
Roslyn is a village in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 2,770...
on September 20, 1914. He holds a BA from Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
, and an MA and PhD from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in history and government. Hechler served on the faculty of Columbia University, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
in the pre-war years.
Hechler held a series of minor appointed positions in the federal civil service until he was drafted into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After graduation from Armored Force Officer Candidate School, he was assigned as a combat historian in the European Theater of Operations, and following the war was assigned to interview many of the defendants prior to the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
, including Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
.
He was also attached to the 9th Armored Division when one of its infantry-tank task forces captured the Ludendorff Bridge
Ludendorff Bridge
The Ludendorff Bridge was a railway bridge across the River Rhine in Germany, connecting the villages of Remagen and Erpel between two ridge lines of hills flanking the river...
spanning the Rhine river at Remagen, Germany. He interviewed several of both the US and German soldiers involved, and in 1957 published the book The Bridge at Remagen which was adapted into a film
The Bridge at Remagen
The Bridge at Remagen is a 1969 war film starring George Segal, Ben Gazzara and Robert Vaughn. It was directed by John Guillermin and was shot on location in Czechoslovakia....
in 1969.
Entry into politics
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
assistant to Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
from 1949 to 1953 and Research Director for Adlai Stevenson's 1956 campaign. From 1953-1957 he was associate director of the American Political Science Association in Washington, DC. Hechler then was appointed to the faculty at Marshall College (now Marshall University
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
) in Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
. He ran for United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from West Virginia's Fourth Congressional District, which then included Huntington and many unionized mill towns along the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
north of that industrial city, in 1958. He won a narrow victory by 3,500 votes.
In Congress, he earned a reputation as a liberal Democrat and in 1965, he was the only member of Congress to march with Dr. Martin Luther King at Selma, Alabama
Selma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
. He was the principal architect of the Coal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969
Coal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969
The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, United States Public Law 91-173, generally referred to as the Coal Act, created the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration , later renamed the Mine Safety and Health Administration , as well as a National Mine Map Repository, within the...
, which for the first time put a ceiling on the amount of respirable coal dust
Coal dust
Coal dust is a fine powdered form of coal, which is created by the crushing, grinding, or pulverizing of coal. Because of the brittle nature of coal, coal dust can be created during mining, transportation, or by mechanically handling coal.-Explosions:...
allowed in coal mines, and stipulated stringent safety regulations. He faced little opposition in Democratic primaries and was reelected eight times.
Election of 1972
Hechler faced a close race for the first (and as it turned out, only) time in 1972. Following the 1970 Census, West Virginia's declining population cost it a congressional district. The state legislature merged Hechler's district with most of the old 5th District, comprising several coal-mining counties around BluefieldBluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 10,447 at the 2010 census. It is also the core city of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,342.-Geography & Climate:...
and Beckley
Beckley, West Virginia
Beckley is a city in Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States, which was founded on April 4, 1838. The 2008 population was estimated to be 16,832 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Early in its history, the town was known as Beckleyville and Raleigh Court House...
. The 5th had been represented by Democrat James Kee
James Kee
James Kee was a U.S. Democratic politician.He was born in Bluefield, West Virginia. He was the son of John Kee, a U.S. Representative from West Virginia who served from 1933 until his death in 1951, and Elizabeth Kee, who succeeded her husband in Congress and served from 1951 until 1965...
of Bluefield since 1965, and members of his family had held the district continuously since 1933. On paper, the new district favored Kee, who retained 65 percent of his former territory. However, Hechler routed him in the Democratic primary by almost 26 points and easily won reelection in November. He was reelected in 1974 after being unopposed in the primary and general election.
Running for Governor
In 1976, he entered a multi-candidate primary for governor, but lost that statewide race by a large margin. He then attempted a write-in campaign in his old district against the Democratic nominee, Nick RahallNick Rahall
Nick Joe Rahall II is the U.S. Representative for West Virginia's 3rd congressional district, serving since 1977. Rahall is currently Ranking Member of the House Resources Committee. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes much of the southern portion of the state, including...
. Rahall was a follower and former staffer for Robert Byrd
Robert Byrd
Robert Carlyle Byrd was a United States Senator from West Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrd served as a U.S. Representative from 1953 until 1959 and as a U.S. Senator from 1959 to 2010...
. He lost to Rahall in a close election, taking 36 percent of the vote and pushing the Republican candidate into third place, and lost again to Rahall in the Democratic primary of 1978. Following these unsuccessful political bids, Hechler resumed his teaching career at Marshall University, the University of Charleston
University of Charleston
The University of Charleston is a private university in Charleston, West Virginia, United States of over 1,300 students.-History:The school was founded in 1888 as the Barboursville Seminary of the Southern Methodist Church...
and West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University is a historically black public college in Institute, West Virginia, United States. In the Charleston-metro area, the school is usually referred to simply as "State" or "West Virginia State"...
.
Later career
In 1984 he ran for West Virginia Secretary of State, winning. He was re-elected in 1988, 1992, and 1996. In 1990, he again ran, in the middle of his Secretarial term, for his old Congressional seat, but was defeated by Rahall in the primary. His term as Secretary of State is most known for his successful prosecution of Johnie Owens, who sold his position as sheriff of Mingo County for $100,000 and was sentenced to fourteen years in federal prison. He also persuaded the West Virginia State Legislature to require that candidates publicly register loans, with specific terms of repayment. There was a growing rift between him and union leaders over his support of tough environmental laws, thought by union leaders to be at the cost of jobs.As Secretary of State, in 1985 he moved his legal residence to Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
. Charleston is located in the 2nd District, which was vacated in 2000 by nine-term Democrat Bob Wise
Bob Wise
Robert Ellsworth "Bob" Wise, Jr. is an American politician. A Democrat, Wise served as the 33rd Governor of West Virginia from January 2001 to January 2005.-Early life:...
, who was running for governor. He lost a three-way Democratic primary bid for that seat. In 2000, he walked 530 miles in joining Doris Haddock ("Granny D
Granny D
Doris Haddock was an American political activist from New Hampshire. Haddock achieved national fame when, between the ages of 88 and 90, starting on January 1, 1999 and culminating on February 29, 2000, she walked over 3,200 miles across the continental United States to advocate for campaign...
") in her cross country walk on behalf of campaign finance reform, shortly before the passage of the McCain-Feingold Act
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 is a United States federal law that amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, which regulates the financing of political campaigns. Its chief sponsors were Senators Russell Feingold and John McCain...
.
In 2004 he ran yet again for his old post as Secretary of State. This time, he won the Democratic primary by a plurality, but lost the general election to Republican Betty Ireland
Betty Ireland
Betty Ireland was the 28th Secretary of State of West Virginia from 2005-2009, serving as the first woman elected to the executive branch of West Virginia state government. She was also the first Republican elected to that position since 1972. Ireland did not seek a second term in 2008 due to her...
.
Since the 2004 election
Since 2004, Hechler has campaigned against mountaintop removal mining. On June 23, 2009, Hechler, then aged 94, participated in a protest near mountaintop removal mining sites in the West Virginia coalfields in the Coal River Valley along with others. He was one of 29 protesters arrested for trespass.2010 U.S. Senate campaign
On July 21, 2010, he filed to run in the special election to succeed the late Senator Robert ByrdRobert Byrd
Robert Carlyle Byrd was a United States Senator from West Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrd served as a U.S. Representative from 1953 until 1959 and as a U.S. Senator from 1959 to 2010...
, running in the primary against Gov. Joe Manchin
Joe Manchin
Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...
. Hechler indicated that his primary goal in entering the race is to draw attention to the devastating impact of mountaintop removal mining in West Virginia. Hechler lost to Manchin, with less than 20% of the vote. He endorsed Jesse Johnson of the Mountain Party
Mountain Party
The Mountain Party is a political party in the state of West Virginia that on July 8, 2007, at its state convention, voted to become the West Virginia affiliate of the Green Party. At the 2007 Green Party National Meeting the party was admitted to the Green Party as a state affiliate. It is a...
for the Senate seat.
Works
- Ken Hechler, The enemy side of the hill: The 1945 background on the interrogation of German commanders as seen subjectively by Major Kenneth W. Hechler, U.S. Dept. of the Army (1949)
- Ken Hechler, The Bridge at Remagen, Ballantine, First edition (January 1, 1957)
- The Bridge at Remagen (Presidio War Classic; World War II), Presidio Press (July 26, 2005), ISBN 978-0891418603
- The Bridge at Remagen: The Amazing Story of March 7, 1945 - The Day the Rhine River was Crossed, Pictorial Histories Pub, Rev Sub edition (December 30, 1993), ISBN 978-0929521794
- Ken Hechler, Endless Space Frontier: A History of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics, 1959-1978 (Aas History Series), Univelt (February 1982), ISBN 978-0877031574
- Ken Hechler, Working With Truman, Putnam Adult; First Edition (November 19, 1982), ISBN 978-0399127625
- Ken Hechler, Working With Truman: A Personal Memoir of the White House Years (Give 'em Hell Harry Series), University of Missouri Press (March 1996), ISBN 978-0826210678
- Ken Hechler, Holding the line the 51st Engineer Combat Battalion and the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944-January 1945 (SuDoc D 103.43/4:4), Office of History, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (1988)
- Ken Hechler, Holding the Line, University Press of the Pacific (January 30, 2005), ISBN 978-1410219626
- Ken Hechler, River-Horse: The Logbook of a Boat Across America, Penguin Books (1991)
- Ken Hechler, Hero of the Rhine: The Karl Timmermann Story, Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, (January 1, 2004), ISBN 978-1575101101
- Ken Hechler, Super Marine!: The Sgt. Orland D. "Buddy" Jones Story, Pictorial Histories Publishing Company (January 2007), ISBN 978-1575101354
External links
- Ken Hechler official site
- Ken Hechler for West Virginia official campaign site
- Oral History Interview with Ken Hechler, Harry S. Truman Library & Museum, November 29, 1985 by Niel M. Johnson