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 fraternity. He served as the 22nd

Governor of Missouri A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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 ye ...

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 C ...

. 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 research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...

. 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 ...

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

. In 1860, he was elected to the

. 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, United States, which it serves as the county seat. With a population of 12,590 as of the 2020 census, the city is a part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Stat ...

, 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 A ...

. 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

, but was later re-buried at the Jewell family cemetery in Columbia, Missouri. Charles H. Hardin is the namesake of the small city of Hardin, Missouri.

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) {{LouisvilleMSA-stub