Thacher Longstreth

Who was Thacher Longstreth?

William Thacher Longstreth was a Republican member of the Philadelphia City Council who was perhaps best known for his long tenure and unique style.

Longstreth, a graduate of Princeton University, was an eighth-generation Philadelphian born to Quakers William C. and Nella Longstreth, whom William married in 1917. William C. Longstreth owned the Longstreth Motor Car Company and his family lived in Haverford, Pennsylvania, and was affluent until the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Thacher was a cousin of President Herbert Hoover and his maternal grandmother, Ella Hoover Thacher was the president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union for many years. In 1970, he led the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and spearheaded the drive to hold the annual Earth Day commemoration in Philadelphia. That event became one of the biggest Earth Day events in the nation. He was also instrumental in the creation of the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He was predeceased by his half sister, Nella Cameron Downward. His younger brother, Frank Longstreth died in 2008.

He was a two-time Republican nominee for Mayor of Philadelphia, first in 1955, losing to Richardson Dilworth, and again in 1971, losing to Frank Rizzo.