Larry Belcher
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
from the 49th district
In office
January 2007 – October 6, 2008
Preceded byMary Harper
Succeeded byLinda Belcher
In office
1998–2000
Preceded byAllen Maricle
Succeeded byMary Harper
Personal details
Born
Larry Lee Belcher

(1947-04-04)April 4, 1947
Campbellsville, Kentucky, U.S.[1]
DiedOctober 6, 2008(2008-10-06) (aged 61)
Edmonson County, Kentucky, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseLinda Belcher
Relations
  • Cecil Belcher (father)
  • Margaret Belcher (mother)
  • Ron Belcher (brother)
  • Dennis Belcher (brother)
Children
  • Jennifer Belcher
  • Jeremy Belcher[1]
ResidenceShepherdsville, Kentucky
EducationEastern Kentucky University (BS)
University of Louisville (MS)
OccupationEducator

Larry Lee Belcher (April 4, 1947 – October 6, 2008) was an American educator, county zoning administrator, and Democratic member of the Kentucky House of Representatives. He represented Kentucky's 49th House district, which includes parts of Bullitt County. Belcher was killed in a car accident in 2008. His wife Linda, a former elementary school principal, replaced Belcher on the 2008 ballot. She was subsequently elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2008 and was reelected in 2010. She lost in 2012, won again in 2014, lost in 2016, and won a special election to return to the legislature in February 2018.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Early life

Belcher was born in Campbellsville, Kentucky on April 4, 1947.[1] His parents were Cecil Lee Belcher and Margaret Lucille Girtley. In the 1960s, Belcher was receiving his bachelor's degree from Eastern Kentucky University and his master's degree from University of Louisville.[8] In 1970, he was beginning his career as a teacher in Bullitt County. He was also a coach in softball and gymnastics.[8]

Career

Belcher spent most of his career as a teacher and coach before becoming an administrator. He served as principal of Lebanon Junction Elementary School in Bullitt County.[2] He also became principal of Roby and Nichols Elementary School in the Bullitt County School District.[9] Subsequently, Belcher served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1999 to 2001. In 2002, he unsuccessfully ran against Gary Tapp for a State Senate Seat. In 2005, he was appointed administrator of the Bullitt County Planning and Zoning Commission.[8] He returned to the House in 2006 and ran for reelection in 2008.[2]

During his run for political office in 1998, Belcher was serving as the director of buildings and ground maintenance for the Bullitt County School District.[9] That same year, Belcher defeated Joe Walls 4,332 to 2,039 in the Democratic primary for Kentucky House district 49.[9] Shortly after he was taking office in February 1999, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet allotted $700,000 for the repair of roads in Bullitt County.[10] According to the Courier-Journal, Belcher secured an additional $200,000 at the last minute for the maintenance and resurfacing of 13.6 miles of road.[10]

Election Results

Kentucky State House of Representatives

DateElectionCandidatePartyVotes %
Kentucky House of Representatives, 49th district
Nov 3, 1998[11] General Larry Belcher Democratic 5,983 55.01
Allen Maricle Republican 4,893 44.99
Nov 7, 2000 General Russell Webber Republican 8,839 54.12
Larry Belcher Democratic 7,492 45.88
Nov 2, 2004 General Mary Harper Republican 8,222 44.07
Larry Belcher Democratic 10,434 55.93
Nov 7, 2006 General Larry Belcher Democratic 4,903 53.33
Mary Harper Republican 4,291 46.67

Kentucky State Senate

DateElectionCandidatePartyVotes %
Kentucky State Senate 20
Nov 5, 2002 General Gary Tapp Republican Party 17,204 56.46
Larry Belcher Democratic Party 13,266 43.54

Death

On October 6, 2008, Belcher was killed in a traffic accident in Edmonson County, Kentucky when his pickup truck ran into the back of a stopped tractor-trailer truck on Interstate 65.[12] The medical cause of the accident was never determined.

Legacy

On January 10, 2018, Kentucky House Resolution 59 was introduced by Representatives Steve Riggs and Joni Jenkins urging the owners of KentuckyOne Health to rename the Medical Center South Jewish Hospital in Shepherdsville in honor of Belcher and his wife Linda, for their contributions to Bullitt County.[13] Subsequently, the University of Louisville Health-Medical Center South elected to rename its boardroom the Larry Belcher Meeting Room. As of 2020, the Larry Belcher Meeting Room is the location of the Fox Chase City Council town hall meetings.[14][15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Larry Belcher's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 WDRB. "State Representative Larry Belcher Killed in Car Crash". Retrieved on 2 November 2015.
  3. ↑ "Wife of Ky. State Rep. Dan Johnson wants to replace him in the legislature". WDRB-TV. December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  4. ↑ Bullitt county GOP picks Rebecca Johnson to run for house seat, KyCIR, Jacob Ryan, December 28, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  5. ↑ Candidates Certified for 49th Dist. Special Election Following Lawmaker's Suicide, WKMS, Nicole Erwin, January 2, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Kentucky Democrat Wins Special Election To Reclaim Seat After Lawmaker's Suicide". NPR.org. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  7. ↑ Wife of lawmaker who killed himself loses election bid, Kentucky New Era, Adam Beam (AP), Feb 21st, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 Harvey, Scott (October 7, 2008). "Family of Larry Belcher Talks About the Man They Knew". Wave 3 News. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Zambroski, James (September 23, 1998). "Maricle Faces Stiff Challenge in 49th District: School Veteran Larry Belcher is Well-Known". Courier-Journal  – via Newspapers.com (subscription required) . Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Zambroski, James (February 24, 1999). "Roads Set for $900,000 in Repairs This Year: Rep. Belcher Snags an Extra $200,000". The Courier-Journal  – via Newspapers.com (subscription required) . Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Kentucky General Election, November 3, 1998". Commonwealth of Kentucky State Board of Elections. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  12. ↑ Dave Newton. "State Rep. Larry Belcher Killed in I-65 Accident". Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. October 6, 2008. Retrieved on 2 November 2015.
  13. ↑ "HR59". Kentucky House Resolution 59. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  14. ↑ Stephen Thomas. "Fox Chase Town Meeting, January 2020". Pioneer News. Retrieved on October 4, 2020.
  15. ↑ Stephen Thomas. "Fox Chase Town Meeting, September 2020". Pioneer News. Retrieved on October 4, 2020.
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