Herbert K. Thatcher received his degree in Soil Technology from the University of Missouri in 1914 and in 1917 came to Arkansas as County Agricultural Agent for Pope County. After serving in the U.S. Army in 1918, Thatcher was promoted to District Agricultural Engineer in 1919. In 1938, he became Director of the Arkansas Agricultural and Industrial Commission where he became interested in water resources development. Thatcher actively lobbied for economic development of the Ouachita River Basin. In 1950, he became Executive Vice-President of the Ouachita River Valley Association, which actively pursued the development of a navigable Ouachita River. In 1968 Mr. Thatcher became Vice-Chairman of the Arkansas Waterways Commission. Throughout his life Thatcher was affiliated with many public organizations including the Arkansas Plant Board, the Arkansas Forestry Commission, the Arkansas Pollution Control Commission, the National Waterways Commission, and the Mississippi Valley Association.