Born in Cabell County, Virginia (now West Virginia), Witcher attended the public schools as a child. He was elected clerk of the circuit court of Cabell County in 1861 before enlisting in the Union Army as a first lieutenant in the 3rd West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry Regiment on December 13, 1862. He was promoted to captain on September 8, 1863, major on May 23, 1864 and lieutenant colonel on May 6, 1865 before being honorably mustered out on June 30, 1865. Witcher was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1865, was Secretary of State of West Virginia from 1867 to 1869 and was elected a Republican to the United States House of Representatives in 1868, serving from 1869 to 1871. After being unsuccessful for reelection in 1870, he was appointed collector of internal revenue for