Ken Hechler

Kenneth William Hechler, better known as Ken Hechler, is a long-serving West Virginia politician. He is a very liberal member of the Democrat party, and a strict follower of labor union leaderships.

Related Topics:
West Virginia - Democrat - Labor union

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Hechler was born in Roslyn, New York on September 20, 1914. He holds a BA from Swathmore College, and an MA and PhD from Columbia University in history and government. He served on the faculty of Columbia University, Princeton University, and Barnard College in the pre-war years.

Related Topics:
Roslyn, New York - September 20 - 1914 - Swathmore College - Columbia University - Princeton University - Barnard College

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Hechler held a series of minor appointed positions in the federal civil service until he joined the United States Army during World War II. He was assigned as a combat historian in George S. Patton's Third Army, and following the war was allowed to interview many of the defendants in the Nuremberg Trials.

Related Topics:
United States Army - World War II - George S. Patton - Nuremberg Trials

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He then was a special assistant to in the administration of Harry S. Truman and a campaign aide in several following Democratic campaigns. He then was appointed to the faculty of what is now known as Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. He then ran for Congress from that state's Fourth Congressional District, which then included Huntington and many unionized mill towns along the Ohio River north of that industrial city, in 1958.

Related Topics:
Harry S. Truman - Marshall University - Huntington, West Virginia - Congress - Ohio River - 1958

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In Congress, he earned a reputation as an extreme liberal and an enemy of the "machine politics" of the West Virginia Democratic Party of that era. He was reelected to his seat through 1970. Following the 1970 Census, the state was reduced from five to four members of Congress. The state's legislature, controlled by the democrat machine, then tried a gerrymander, placing Huntington in a distict with the machine controlled coal producing southwestern part of the state. Hechler then faced off in a battle of incumbents and, to the surprise of most observers, won by a large margin. He then worked his rural and poor district tirelessly, using a red Jeep to reach remote parts of the district. The red Jeep would become his political trademark. He was re-elected in 1974.

Related Topics:
1970 - Census - Legislature - Gerrymander - Coal - Jeep - 1974

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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 against the Democratic nominee Nick Rahall (the Republican party was, more or less, non-existent in the area during this time). Rahall was a political follower of Robert Byrd and Hechler has denounced Byrd's racial views many times. He lost to Rahall in a close election and lost again to him in the Democratic primary of 1978. Following these unsuccessful political bids, Hechler resumed his teaching career at Marshall University and at the University of Charleston.

Related Topics:
1976 - Governor - Write-in - Nick Rahall - Robert Byrd - 1978 - University of Charleston

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In 1984 he ran for state Secretary of State, winning easily. 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 lost badly. His term as Secretary of State is most known for his ruling that a loan to a candidate which was not anticipated to ever be repaid was not a campaign contribution in violation of finance laws. It also marked 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.

Related Topics:
1984 - Secretary of State - 1988 - 1992 - 1996 - 1990

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In 2000 he moved his legal residence to Charleston, West Virginia. Charleston is located in the Second Congressional District of West Virginia, which at the time had an open congressional seat. He lost a three-way democratic primary bid for that seat. In 2004 he ran yet again for Secretary of State, winning a multi candidate primary by a plurality, but losing the general election to Republican Betty Ireland. Ireland's victory was somewhat of an upset but it was attributed to Hechler's age of 90 years. Because of Hechler's age the campaign gained some national attention.

Related Topics:
2000 - Charleston, West Virginia - 2004

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He has never married.

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