Robert Clarence Harder (June 4, 1929 – April 12, 2014) was an American politician and Methodist clergyman. He was the longest-serving cabinet secretary in Kansas history.
Born in
Horton, Kansas
Horton is a city in Brown County, Kansas, Brown County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,523.
History
Horton was founded in 1886. It was named for Albert H. Horton, chief ...
, he received his bachelor's degree from
Baker University, his master's degree in theology from
Perkins School of Theology
Perkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools and is located in Dallas, Texas. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J. and Lois Craddock Perkins of Wichita Falls, Texas. De ...
, and his doctorate degree from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
. Harder then served as pastor of a United Methodist Church. From 1961 to 1967, he served in the
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for craftin ...
as 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 ...
. He then served as Secretary of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation from 1967 to 1987, and later served as Secretary of the Department of Health and Environment.
He died in
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...
, of a brain tumor.
References
1929 births
2014 deaths
People from Horton, Kansas
Baker University alumni
Perkins School of Theology alumni
Boston University School of Theology alumni
Deaths from brain cancer in the United States
Deaths from cancer in Kansas
Neurological disease deaths in Kansas
Democratic Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives
State cabinet secretaries of Kansas
American United Methodist clergy
20th-century American legislators
{{Kansas-politician-stub