Silas Hare (November 13, 1827 – November 26, 1908) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Early years

Silas Hare Sr. was born in

Ross County, Ohio Ross County is a county in the Appalachian region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 77,093. Its county seat is Chillicothe, the first and third capital of Ohio. Established on August 20, 1798, the ...

, to Jacob and Elizabeth Freshour Hare on November 13, 1827, and lived the first fourteen years of his life with his grandfather Daniel Hare. His father died in 1835, and in 1841, Hare rejoined his mother and other family members in

Hamilton County, Indiana Hamilton County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. The 2020 United States Census recorded a population of 347,467. The county seat is Noblesville. Hamilton County is part of the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN Metropolitan Statistical Ar ...

, near Noblesville, where he attended common and private schools. He studied law in Noblesville, and was admitted to the Indiana Bar Association in 1850 and commenced practice in

Noblesville, Indiana Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, a part of the north Indianapolis suburbs along the White River (Indiana), White River. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 Unite ...

. Hare moved to

Belton, Texas Belton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas on the Interstate 35 in Texas, Interstate 35 corridor between Austin, Texas, Austin and Waco, Texas, Waco. Belton is the county seat of Bell County, Texas, Bell County and is the fifth largest city in t ...

, in 1853 where he continued the practice of law. In 1852, Hare began traveling to improve his health. He visited Mexico, Central America, Hawaii (at that time, the Sandwich Islands), Oregon.

Military service

Hare served during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

in the 1st Indiana Volunteers 1846 and 1847. At the

Battle of Buena Vista The Battle of Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847), known as the Battle of La Angostura in Mexico, and sometimes as Battle of Buena Vista/La Angostura, was a battle of the Mexican–American War. It was fought between the US invading forces, l ...

, Hare was wounded by a lance. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Hare served as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. He was appointed quartermaster, and later attained the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in 1863, with the First Regiment of the Arizona Brigade stationed in Texas.

Public service

He served as Chief justice of New Mexico in 1862 under the Confederate Government. Hare settled in

Sherman, Texas Sherman is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas. The city's population in 2020 was 43,645. It is one of the two principal cities in the Sherman–Denison metropolitan statistical area, and it is part of the Texoma region o ...

, in 1865 and resumed the practice of law. He served as district judge of the criminal court 1873–1876. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1884. Hare was elected 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 ...

to the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Congresses (March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1891). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1890. In 1890, Hare resumed the practice of law in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Texas State Historical Association

Personal life and death

In 1849, he married Octavia Elizabeth Rector of

Circleville, Ohio Circleville is a city in and the county seat of Pickaway County, Ohio, United States, set along the Scioto River, 25 miles (40 km) south of Columbus. The population was 13,927 at the 2020 census. The city is best-known today as the host of t ...

. The couple had seven children:

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

cadet Luther Rector;Texas State Historical Association Silas Jr who followed his father in public service;Texas State Historical Association in addition to Winnie, Henry, George, Eula, and one child who died in infancy. Octavia died June 5, 1890 and is interred at West Hill Cemetery in

. In 1903, the 76-year-old Hare married for a second time to 66-year-old Mary Louise Kennedy in a secret ceremony in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

taking his friends by surprise. The elopement left the ''New York Times'' speculating about the honeymoon, ''"They have not returned, and the ex-Congressman's friends have no idea where they are."'' Silas Hare died in Washington, D.C. on November 26, 1908, and is interred with his first wife in Sherman, Texas. Mary Louise Kennedy Hare died November 3, 1912.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hare, Silas 1827 births 1907 deaths People from Noblesville, Indiana People from Ross County, Ohio People from Sherman, Texas Confederate States Army officers American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People of Texas in the American Civil War Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 19th-century American politicians Military personnel from Texas