Ken Hechler
| Ken Hechler | |
|---|---|
Ken Hechler speaking in 2008
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| 26th Secretary of State of West Virginia | |
|
In office January 14, 1985 – January 15, 2001 |
|
| Governor |
Arch A. Moore, Jr. Gaston Caperton Cecil H. Underwood |
| Preceded by | A. James Manchin |
| Succeeded by | Joe Manchin |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from West Virginia's 4th district |
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In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1977 |
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| Preceded by | Will E. Neal |
| Succeeded by | Nick Rahall |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kenneth William Hechler September 20, 1914 Roslyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died |
December 10, 2016 (aged 102) Romney, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Stroke |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Carol Denise Kitzmiller (m. 2013) |
| Residence | Slanesville, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Alma mater |
Swarthmore College Columbia University |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Awards | Bronze Star |
| Website | www.kenhechler.us/ |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–45 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 9th Armored Division |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Kenneth William "Ken" Hechler (September 20, 1914 – December 10, 2016) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented West Virginia's 4th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1959 to 1977 and was West Virginia Secretary of State from 1985 to 2001.
Of German-American descent, Hechler was born in Roslyn, New York on September 20, 1914 to Charles Henry and Catherine Elizabeth (Hauhart) Hechler. He held 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 years leading up to World War ll.
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. (Hechler records him making a delusional offer to join the American side and "knock hell out of the Russians.") Hechler helped chronicle the liberation of France, the 1944 Normandy invasion, Battle of the Bulge, and entrance into Nazi Germany. He was awarded a Bronze Star and 5 battle stars.
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 U.S. and German soldiers involved, and in 1957 published the book The Bridge at Remagen: The Amazing Story of March 7, 1945 which was adapted into a film in 1969.
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