Luke Edward Hart (July 31, 1880 – February 19, 1964) was the tenth

Supreme Knight The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus (more simply referred to as the Supreme Knight) is the title of the chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Knights of Columbus. The organization comprises approximately 1.9 mi ...

of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight ...

, serving from September 1, 1953 until his death on February 19, 1964.

Personal life

Hart was born in 1880 in Maloy, Iowa. He set up his office in St. Louis where he practiced law and later was an alderman. He received an undergraduate degree from

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hist ...

and a law degree from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

. In 1905, he married Catherine J. O'Connor, who predeceased him; they had six children, two of whom predeceased him. From 1934-38, he was the president and general counsel of the Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company.

Career

National leader

Hart was a delegate to

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

from Missouri in 1940. During World War I, he was a member of the executive committee of the United War Work campaign. He helped to found the

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

and the Boys Club of St. Louis. Hart was also a member of the board of the St. Louis Catholic Orphan Board.

Knights of Columbus

Hart was elected Supreme Advocate of the Knights of Columbus in 1922 and was Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from 1954-63. He was awarded the Star of Morocco in 1920 after leading a delegation of Knights who presented a statue of Lafayette to the French people. He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great in 1927, and a knight commander in 1939. He was awarded entry into the Order of St. Raymond of Peñafort in Spain and made a Secret Chamberlain of Cape and Sword in 1951. He attended the coronation of

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

. In 1951, Hart was elected president of the National Fraternal Congress. By the end of the 1950s Supreme Knight Hart was actively encouraging councils to accept black candidates. It was during Hart's tenure in 1954 that the Knights petitioned to get "under God" inserted into the

Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is a patriotic recited verse that promises allegiance to the flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America. The first version, with a text different from the one used ...

Death

Hart died on February 19, 1964 at St. Raphael's Hospital in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

. He is buried in the crypt of the

Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, also known as the Saint Louis Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located in the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri. Completed in 1914, it is the mother church of the Arch ...

References

External links

The Pledge of Allegiance
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Luke E. 1880 births 1964 deaths People from St. Louis People from Ringgold County, Iowa Burials at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (St. Louis) Supreme Knights of the Knights of Columbus Catholics from Missouri Catholics from Iowa