Charles Henry Hardin (July 15, 1820 – July 29, 1892) was an American attorney and politician who was one of the eight founders of
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...
fraternity. He served as the 22nd
Governor of Missouri
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...
from 1875 to 1877 and previously served in the
Missouri Senate
The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 174,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...
and the
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
.
Biography
In 1820, Charles Henry Hardin was born to Charles and Hannah Jewell Hardin in
Trimble County, Kentucky
Trimble County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Bedford. The county was founded in 1837 and is named for Robert Trimble. Trimble is no longer a prohibition or dry county. Trimble Co ...
. Shortly after, the family moved to Missouri and eventually settled in
Columbia. Following his father's death in 1830, Hardin worked in the family's tannery business.
Hardin began his secondary education in 1837 at the
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana University and, with ...
. He transferred to
Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...
in 1839 and graduated in 1841. During his time at Miami University, he helped to found Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
Following graduation, he studied law with James M. Gordon in Columbia, MO, passed the bar, and opened a practice in
Fulton, Missouri
Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolita ...
in 1843. Hardin married Mary Bar Jenkins in 1844.
He began public service in 1848 as an attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit, and then served in the
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
. In 1860, he was elected to the
Missouri Senate
The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 174,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...
. As state senator, he attended
Claiborne Fox Jackson
Claiborne Fox Jackson (April 4, 1806 – December 6, 1862) was an American politician of the Democratic Party in Missouri. He was elected as the 15th Governor of Missouri, serving from January 3, 1861, until July 31, 1861, when he was for ...
's secessionist meeting in
Neosho, Missouri
Neosho (; originally or ) is the most populous city in Newton County, Missouri, Newton County, Missouri, United States, which it serves as the county seat. With a population of 12,590 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city i ...
, and was the only senator present to vote against
secession
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...
. During the war, he returned to the family farm in
Audrain County, Missouri
Audrain County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,962. Its county seat is Mexico. The county was organized December 13, 1836, and named for Colonel James Hunter Au ...
. Hardin and his family moved to
Mexico, Missouri
, image_skyline = Audrain County Missouri Courthouse.JPG
, imagesize = 250px
, image_caption = The Audrain County Courthouse in downtown Mexico.
, image_flag =
, image_seal = ...
, where he established a new law practice and co-founded Mexico Southern Bank, following the close of the war.
In 1872, Hardin was again voted to the state senate. He served as
22nd Governor of Missouri between 1875 and 1877. During his term, Hardin reduced Missouri's debt from the Civil War and state funding for railroad expansion by ending wasteful practices and refinancing bonds.
He was a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
.
Hardin was a founder and board chair of
Hardin College. He died in 1892 in
Mexico, Missouri
, image_skyline = Audrain County Missouri Courthouse.JPG
, imagesize = 250px
, image_caption = The Audrain County Courthouse in downtown Mexico.
, image_flag =
, image_seal = ...
. He was initially buried in a private graveyard in
Audrain County, Missouri
Audrain County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,962. Its county seat is Mexico. The county was organized December 13, 1836, and named for Colonel James Hunter Au ...
, but was later re-buried at the
Jewell family cemetery in
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...
.
Charles H. Hardin is the namesake of the small city of
Hardin, Missouri
Hardin is a city in southeast Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 571 at the 2020 census.
History
Hardin was laid out in 1868. The community was named for Charles He ...
.
References
* Brown, James T., ed., ''Catalogue of Beta Theta Pi'', New York: 1917.
External links
*
*
1820 births
1892 deaths
Democratic Party governors of Missouri
Miami University alumni
People from Trimble County, Kentucky
Beta Theta Pi founders
19th-century American politicians
Burials at Jewell Cemetery (Columbia, Missouri)
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