Lamartine Griffin Hardman

Lamartine Hardman

Lamartine Griffin Hardman (born April 14, 1856 in Harmony Grove , Jackson County , Georgia , † February 18, 1937 in Atlanta , Georgia) was an American politician and governor of Georgia from 1927 to 1931.

Early years and political advancement

Lamartine Hardman was the son of William BJ Hardman and his wife Susan Elizabeth. The father was a well-known doctor and preacher. The young Lamartine also studied medicine at the University of Georgia . After graduating in 1877, he completed his knowledge in New York , Pennsylvania and London . In 1890 he returned to Harmony Grove to participate in his father's practice.

Soon he developed other interests in addition to his medical work. He set up a number of trading ventures and acquired farmland with peach and apple groves in various districts of Georgia. He was also the curator of several higher education institutions, including the agricultural branch of the University of Georgia. Soon he was considered one of the richest men in Georgia. From 1902 he was politically active. That year he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, to which he served until 1907. There, according to his origins, he stood up primarily for medical and agricultural issues. In 1907 he became a state senator in Georgia for two years and then an MP again. During the First World War , which began for the United States in April 1917, he was entrusted with the administration of the fuel reserves of the state of Georgia. His ambitions for the office of governor first emerged in 1914, when he applied, albeit unsuccessfully, for the office. Another unsuccessful attempt followed in 1916. In 1926 he finally achieved the longed-for election victory. At the age of 71, he was the oldest governor in Georgia's history when he took office.

Georgia Governor

Hardman wanted to run the state on the principles of business enterprise. He set up the Allen Commission, named after an Atlanta businessman, to review the efficiency of government and administration. At the same time, the Commission should come up with proposals for simplifying procedures and improving coordination. However, the Commission's proposals in 1930 did not find a parliamentary majority. In the meantime they were busy with the effects of the incipient economic depression. The proposals of the Allen Commission were later taken up by Hardman's successor Richard B. Russell and partially implemented. Despite some internal party rivalries, Hardman was nominated again in 1928 and elected to a second term. But this was then overshadowed by the health problems of the aging governor.

Another résumé

Hardman resigned in early 1931 after two terms (a term was then limited to two years) from the office. He died of heart failure on February 18, 1937, at the age of 80. Hardman was married to Emma Wiley Griffin since 1907. The couple had a son and three daughters.

literature

• Pamela Hackbart-Dean: Georgia's Renaissance Governor: Lamartine Hardman — Physician, Millowner, Agriculturalist. In: Georgia Historical Quarterly. 79 (summer 1995): 441-52.

Web links

• Biography on georgiaencyclopedia.org (English)
• Lamartine Griffin Hardman in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Lamartine Hardman in the National Governors Association (English)