Herman Rattliff

Herman W. Rattliff (born April 1, 1926) is a Campbellsville, Kentucky, businessman who served from 1969-1989 as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives.

Rattliff was one of five sons and two daughters born to James W. Rattliff (1904-1987) and the former Estell Dobson (1907-1984), a couple from Green County in South Central Kentucky. Rattliff and his wife, the former Jewell Trust (born ca. 1931), formerly operated Supertone Studios in Campbellsville, which handled the photographic contracts for numerous area school districts. Beginning in 2000, Rattliff began raising Charolais cattle outside Campbellsville in Taylor County.

He was first elected to the Kentucky House from District 29 in 1969 and 1971. In 1973, after redistricting, he ran successfully for eight more two-year terms in District 51, which formerly included Green, Metcalfe, and Taylor counties. After the 1990 redistricting, by which time Ray H. Altman of Campbellsville held the representative’s position, the mostly Republican District 51 was reconfigured to include Taylor and Adair counties, the seat of which is Columbia.

In 1973, Rattliff was elected in District 51 midway in the gubernatorial term of Democrat Wendell Ford, later a U.S. senator. In the May 29 Republican primary, Rattliff unseated incumbent Marion Horn, Jr. In the November 6 general election, he topped the Democrat Brook Edwards. Rattliff was unopposed in the general election held on November 4, 1975. During his tenure, Rattliff worked alongside State Senators Doug Moseley and David L. Williams. Moseley once described Rattliff as "one of the best legislators they ever had in Frankfort. . . . If Herman Rattliff said it, he followed through."

Kentucky legislative elections were switched to even years in 1984 to coincide with congressional elections. This meant that the legislature in Kentucky would be elected in years separate from the governor and other state constitutional officers.

Ratliff’s siblings are Doris Rodgers of Campbellsville, J.W. Rattliff of Greensburg, and Vernon Rattliff of Lexington. His deceased siblings were Willya Rattliff Cox (1936-2004) of Greensburg, Emett Wesley Rattliff (1924-1983) of Campbellsville, and Ronnie Rattliff of Greensburg.