Louis F. Hart

Louis F. Hart

Louis Folwell Hart (born January 4, 1862 in High Point , Moniteau County , Missouri , † December 4, 1929 in Tacoma , Washington ) was an American politician and from 1919 to 1925 the ninth governor of Washington state .

Early years

Folwell studied law in Missouri and then moved to Snohomish in what is now Washington State in the late 1880s . There he worked as a lawyer. In 1899 he moved to Tacoma , where he continued to practice as a lawyer. He was also an insurance agent. Hart was a member of the Republican Party . In 1912 he was elected lieutenant governor of Washington State and in 1916 he was elected to office. During the First World War he was chairman of a Selective Service Appeals Board for the southwestern area of ​​the state. After the death of the incumbent governor Ernest Lister on June 14, 1919, Hart fell to the office of governor as his deputy.

Washington governor

Hart's first task was to end the beginning of his predecessor's term of office. In 1920 he was then elected to this office for a further four-year term. So he could stay in office until January 12, 1925. During his tenure, the governor promoted the expansion of the road and motorway network. At that time, an independent traffic police ( Highway Patrol ) was established to control the highways. Governor Hart reformed the government apparatus and merged many departments. The original number of 75 authorities fell to just ten. The capitol in the state capital was also built in these years. It is also worth mentioning a general strike that led to labor unrest in Seattle in 1919.

Another résumé

Due to his poor health, Hart decided not to run again in 1924. After the end of his tenure, he retired to Tacoma, where he again worked as a lawyer. He died there in December 1929. Louis Hart was married to Ella James, with whom he had five children.

Web links

• Louis F. Hart in the database of the National Governors Association (English)
• Louis F. Hart in the database of Find a Grave (English)