Early Life
Born in Moline, Illinois, Hearnes moved to Charleston, Missouri as a child and resided there until his death. After high school, he attended the University of Missouri for a year and a half, until he was drafted. Soon after reporting for duty, Hearnes was appointed by President Roosevelt to the United States Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1946. He married Betty Cooper, his childhood sweetheart, on July 2, 1947.
He served in the U.S. Army and was medically discharged in 1949 after he broke his ankle in a softball game. He was a 1952 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law. While attending law school he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1950 and served until 1961. He served as majority floor leader from 1957 until leaving office.
In 1960 he ran for Missouri Secretary of State. In the primary he defeated James Kirkpatrick, garnering 42.15% of the vote. He defeated Joseph Badgett in the general election with 56.18% of the vote.
Read more about this topic: Warren E. Hearnes
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