Bailey Hardeman (1795–1836) was the first Secretary of the Treasury for the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from M ...

Family

Bailey was a younger son of Thomas Hardeman and his first wife Mary Perkins. Both families were early settlers in

Tidewater Virginia Tidewater refers to the north Atlantic coastal plain region of the United States of America. Definition Culturally, the Tidewater region usually includes the low-lying plains of southeast Virginia, northeastern North Carolina, southern Mary ...

. Thomas Hardeman was a Revolutionary War soldier and served for years as a representative from Davidson County when it was the

Territory South of the River Ohio The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the United States a ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

, and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

. Bailey served as a First Lieutenant in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

Hardeman County, Texas Hardeman County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 3,549. The county seat and largest city is Quanah. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1884. It is named for two br ...

, was named for the brothers, Bailey and Thomas Hardeman. Both were part of the first Republic of Texas government.

Hardeman County, Tennessee Hardeman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,462. Its county seat is Bolivar. History Hardeman County was created by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1823 from parts of Ha ...

, was named for his brother, Colonel Thomas Jones Hardeman.

Texas politics

Bailey, like several of his brothers and brothers-in-law, had various financial interests included trade into Mexico. The interest in trade with Mexico may have prompted his move to the Tejas area in 1835. Bailey and his small family settled in

Matagorda County Matagorda County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,255. Its county seat is Bay City, not to be confused with the larger Baytown in Harris and Chambers Counties. Matagorda County is ...

. It was almost natural for him to fall into a leadership role in the local politics given his experience in Tennessee. On 28 Nov 1835 General Council of the Provisional Government of Texas elected him one of the commissioners to organize the militia for Matagorda Municipality. Upon his arrival at

Washington-on-the-Brazos Washington-on-the-Brazos is an unincorporated community along the Brazos River in Washington County, Texas, United States. The town is best known for being the site of the Convention of 1836 and the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independ ...

on March 1, 1836, he was appointed to a twenty-one-member committee to draw up a constitution for the

. The resulting

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princip ...

was approved in mid-March. The delegates elected him Secretary of the Treasury. On 27 Mar 1836 he and Lorenzo de Zavala were appointed commissioners to accompany Santa Anna to

Vera Cruz Veracruz is a state in Mexico. Veracruz or Vera Cruz (literally "True Cross") may also refer to: People * María González Veracruz (born 1979), Spanish politician * Philip Vera Cruz (1904–1994), Filipino American labor leader * Tomé Vera Cruz ...

to negotiate a peace treaty. Bailey Hardeman was one of the committee of five elected to draft a Declaration of Independence from Mexico on 2 May 1836. He was also one of the fifty-nine signers of the

Texas Declaration of Independence The Texas Declaration of Independence was the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. It was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, and was formal ...

. Bailey died of fever at Caney Creek, Matagorda County, Texas on 24 September 24, 1836. His obituary was printed in the ''

Telegraph and Texas Register ''Telegraph and Texas Register'' (1835–1877) was the second permanent newspaper in Texas. Originally conceived as the ''Telegraph and Texas Planter'', the newspaper was renamed shortly before it began publication, to reflect its new mission ...

'' and also the ''Nashville Republican''. "HARDEMAN, BAILEY," Handbook of Texas Online
accessed December 04, 2015. Uploaded on June 15, 2010, author Nicholas P. Hardeman. Published by the

Texas State Historical Association The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, on March 2, 1897. , TSHA moved their offices from Austin to the University of ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardeman, Bailey 1795 births 1836 deaths People from Davidson County, Tennessee People from Williamson County, Tennessee Tennessee lawyers People from Hardeman County, Tennessee People from Matagorda County, Texas People of Mexican Texas People of the Texas Revolution Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence 19th-century American lawyers

Family

Texas politics

See also

References

External links