Political Life
Hardy moved to near Glasgow, Kentucky to make his own professional future and, later, to begin his political future. It was from Glasgow that he first won and held political office. As a state-level politician, he was strongly supportive of the policies of the Know-Nothing Party in the years just before the Civil War. When asked his position on slavery, he would reply in vague terms that it was certainly a serious matter that he would give careful and measured thought to if elected.
Charles S. Morehead and James G. Hardy ran for Governor and Lt. Governor, respectively, in 1854 on the Know-Nothing Party ticket in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. They both won election, and Gov. Morehead served from 1855 until 1859, completing his term. Hardy, though, died before completing his term on July 16, 1856, serving only from 1855 to 1856, and his body was sent by rail to Glasgow, KY. A large funeral procession went out from Glasgow, and he was buried on his farm estate in an above-ground mausoleum near Rock Springs Baptist Church, amidst a crowd of several hundred local citizens who accompanied the final procession to pay their respects.
An historical marker honoring Hardy is located today on the west side of U.S. Route 31W roughly 13 miles north of Glasgow, near Rock Springs Baptist Church and the Hardy homeplace/cemetery. The land for Rock Springs Baptist Church, near the Hart and Barren County line, and near the Hardy homeplace and Hardy School, was donated by the Hardy family. Hardyville, Kentucky in Hart County was named in his honor, commemorating a series of popular stump speeches that he gave in the area while campaigning for political office.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Burton Thompson |
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky 1855–1856 |
Succeeded by Linn Boyd |
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hardy, James Greene |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | May 3, 1795 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | July 16, 1856 |
| Place of death | |
Read more about this topic: James Greene Hardy
Famous quotes related to political life:
“The general review of the past tends to satisfy me with my political life. No man, I suppose, ever came up to his ideal. The first half [of] my political life was first to resist the increase of slavery and secondly to destroy it.... The second half of my political life has been to rebuild, and to get rid of the despotic and corrupting tendencies and the animosities of the war, and other legacies of slavery.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)
“We in the South were ready for reconciliation, to be accepted as equals, to rejoin the mainstream of American political life. This yearning for what might be called political redemption was a significant factor in my successful campaign.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)