On June 9, 1819, the Louisville Kentucky Herald carried the following announcement: “J.H. BUSH PORTRIAT PAINTER has taken the house recently occupied by Mr. Wm. C. Barker, situated on Main St, between Dr. Galt’s and C.P. Luckett’s, where he offers his professional services to the citizens of Louisville.” Jouett-Bush-Frazer –Early Kentucky Artists by William Barrow Floyd pg: 86
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native Jennie Casseday , born in 1840. At 21, Jennie became paralyzed in a carriage accident, and from that point on, she dedicated her life to helping others. Ms. Casseday was one of Kentucky’s greatest humanitarians.
On June 9, 1850, Ralph Waldo Emerson visited what he called “the great hole,” also known as Mammoth Cave. After a two-day visit, he walked to Bell’s Tavern (present-day Park City in Barren County), which was seven miles away. When they arrived, they were disappointed to find no stagecoach, carriage, or horse available. The next day, the group walked an additional 14 miles before finding a buggy to Bowling Green (Warren County). From there, Emerson traveled by stage to Eddyville (Lyon County), where he boarded a steamboat to Cairo, Illinois, where the Ohio River enters the Mississippi River.
On June 9, 1865, Confederate and Munfordville (Hart County) native Simon Bolivar Buckner received parole from New Orleans , which prevented his return to Kentucky for three years. He stayed in town and worked for a newspaper, and when he returned, he became editor of The Louisville-Courier . He later became our 30th governor in 1887.
June 9, 1883, the Dwyer Brothers won the 17th Belmont Stakes with George Kinney. The field of four went the 1 ½ miles in 2:42 1/2. None of the four horses raced in the Derby or Preakness. The brother won the 1881 Derby and Mike won it again in 1896.
On Thursday, June 9, 1887, Hanover won the 21st Belmont Stakes , a match race against Oneko to win $2,900. The 1 ½ miles went in 2:43 ½ on a heavy track. Neither ran in the Derby or Preakness.
Thursday, June 9, 1892, Patron beat Shellbark in a match race to capture the 26th Belmont Stakes to win $6,610. The 1 ¼ miles went in 2:12 on a muddy track. There was no Preakness and neither horse ran in the Derby.
June 9, 1901, Chief of Police Silas Wilder, Corbin Police Department died from a gunshot when he attempted to arrest a man who was terrorizing local citizens.
June 9, 1910, Kentucky Congressman A. O. Stanley sponsored a resolution requesting President Taft to provide information on U.S. Steel’s violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. U.S. Steel was the number one investor of Eastern Kentucky coal.
June 9, 1919, Man o’ War, trained by Louis Feustel, stepped up to stakes company and dusted five others in the 7th running of the 5.5F Keene Memorial Stakes at Belmont in 1:05.60. Johnny Loftus guided the superstar home and earned the winning connections $4,200.
June 9, 1923, five years after Paul Sawyier died in NY, his cousin, Judge Russel McReary, returned Sawyier’s body to be reinterred in the Sawyier-Wingate family plot in Frankfort Cemetery . At the time of his death it is estimated that he painted 3,000 works, mostly watercolor landscapes.
June 9, 1946, Jenkins native George Burpo made his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Owensboro (Daviess County) native John Christopher Depp II , born in 1963.
On June 9, 1969, Thomas Robert Payne, a California high-school All-American signed with Kentucky . He was the tallest player Kentucky ever had at the time and the 1st African-American player Adolph Rupp coached.
June 9, 1973, Secretariat won the 105th Belmont Stakes and the 9th Triple Crown (TC). His winning time of 2 minutes and 24 seconds still stands as the American record for a mile and a half on dirt.
June 9, 1980, three witnesses from Kentucky told the Senate Judicial Committee that Harlan County Commonwealth Attorney Green Wix Unthank, 56, was intemperate , rude, and unqualified to be a Federal district judge. President Carter’s pick sailed through when Senator Dole had no questions for Unthank.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Danville (Boyle County) native and the 58th Lt. Governor Jacqueline Coleman , born in 1982. She is the 1st Lt. gov. to give birth while in office.
On June 9, 1999, Kentucky’s Teacher Certificate Board stripped the award-winning principal of Bell County High School of his administrative and teaching certificates for 18 months in the most severe penalty ever for violating state school testing rules. His duties were to ensure no one cheated on the 1996 proficiency tests. The suspension went against the advice of the AG office, which said his actions were not intentional.
June 9, 2007, the fabulous filly Rags to Riches outdueled Preakness winner Curlin in a breathtaking stretch run and won the 139th Belmont Stakes by a head . A filly had not won the Belmont since 1905 or a TC race since the 1988 Kentucky Derby. No one was happier with the victory than trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez, who ended long droughts in TC races: Pletcher was 0-for-28, Velazquez 0-for-20.
June 9, 2008, Lexington native Tyler Clippard pitched his 1st game for the Washington Nationals .
On June 9, 2012, Kentucky-bred Union Rags raced along the rail to win the 144th Belmont Stakes by a neck. The 11-horse field completed the race in 2:30.42 seconds, competing for a $1,000,000 purse. Unfortunately, Derby and Preakness winner I’ll Have Another had to retire due to a leg injury sustained on the eve of the race. He was the favorite and had the potential to become the first TC winner since 1978.
June 9, 2018, Justify captured the 13th TC by winning the 150th Belmont Stakes. Baffert “might” have beat the urine tests, so the title stuck.
June 9, 2019, six Kentucky hospitals were given D’s or F’s in a nonprofit group’s biannual safety rankings. According to HospitalSafetyGrade.org, patients are more at risk of dying during their stay with hospitals that receive D’s and F’s than hospitals with passing grades. The D’s included: UofL Hospital, Taylor Regional in Campbellsville, Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Highlands in Prestonburg, and Hazard. Kentucky’s only failing hospital was Methodist in Henderson.
On June 9, 2021, President J. Biden stood beside Pfizer’s CEO, DVM Albert Bourla, and urged global leaders to join him in sharing coronavirus vaccines with struggling nations worldwide. He promised that the U.S. would donate 500 million doses to help speed the end of the pandemic. They spoke in England before a summit of the Group of Seven world leaders. The U.S. bought and donated 500 million Pfizer doses for $4 billion.
On Thursday, June 9, 2022, 20 million people watched the prime-time soap opera, January 6 House Committee Hearings , led by the daughter of America’s #2 war criminal, Dick Cheney. Some journalists claimed Liz suppressed some evidence. Two impeachments and a House investigation could not convict America’s #1 conman, not that they had any intentions of doing so or one of the impeachment charges would have included the Emoluments Clause.
On June 9, 2024, Kentucky Secretary of State Michael G. Adams received the 2024 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. He was honored for his efforts to expand voting rights and standing up for free and fair elections. Despite facing opposition and personal threats from his GOP, Adams persisted in protecting election integrity. JFK’s grandson, John Schlossberg, presented the award in Boston.
