Guy Urban Hardy (April 4, 1872 – January 26, 1947) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

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for fourteen years. He was a newspaper editor and publisher for 52 years as well as president of the National Editorial Association. Three parks were established in

Cañon City, Colorado Cañon City ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Fremont County, Colorado, United States. The city p ...

as the result of his lobbying efforts: Royal Gorge Park, Temple Canyon Park, and Red Canyon Park. The Guy U. Hardy award was established to recognize individuals who preserve, protect, and advocate for outdoor recreational opportunities.

Early life and education

Born in

Abingdon, Illinois Abingdon is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States, west of Peoria. As of 2010 census, its population was 3,319, down from 3,612 as of the 2000 census. History The city was first settled in 1828. Abingdon was laid out in 1836 and ...

, Hardy had two brothers. He attended the public schools, Albion Normal College in

Albion, Illinois Albion is a city in and the county seat of Edwards County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,971 at the 2020 census. The city was named "Albion" after an ancient and poetic reference to the island of Great Britain. History The sett ...

, and

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It was founded in 1780 and is the oldest university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is Higher educ ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

Career

He taught school in Illinois and Florida from 1890 to 1893. He had

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and moved to

for the dry climate in 1894. He was the editor and later publisher and owner of the ''Cañon City Daily Record'' and ''Cañon City Weekly Record'', beginning in 1895. Initially, there was a weekly paper, and by 1906 Hardy also published a daily newspaper. Appointed to the post by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

, he was

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of Cañon City from June 5, 1900, to July 30, 1904. He was president of the National Editorial Association in 1918 and 1919. He lobbied Congress in 1906 to establish a park at

Royal Gorge The Royal Gorge is a canyon of the Arkansas River located west of Cañon City, Colorado. The canyon begins at the mouth of Grape Creek, about west of central Cañon City, and continues in a west-northwesterly direction for approximately unti ...

by having the land ceded to the City of Cañon City. Royal Gorge Park was created due to his efforts, as were Temple Canyon Park in 1912 and also Red Canyon Park. He was also a leader in the local

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

. Hardy was elected as a Republican to the 66th Congress and to the six succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1933). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the

73rd Congress The 73rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1933, ...

. While in Congress, he prepared documents regarding the responsibilities of Congressmen and about Congress. He resumed his former publishing pursuits in

. He founded the University Club of Cañon City.

Personal life

On August 2, 1899, he married Jessie Mack (born May 7, 1875 Cañon City), the daughter of early pioneers of Cañon City, Julia E. (Little) and Henry Mack. Jessie received her

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; or or ) is the title of an academic degree in philosophy that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's degrees, the ...

(Ph.B.) at the

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in 1898, after which she taught Latin and English at the Cañon City High School. She was a suffragette and involved in a number of community organizations. She also taught kindergarten. The Hardys had four children, daughter Marion and sons Max, Lyman, and Don. He resided in Cañon City, Colorado until his death on January 26, 1947. He was interred in Greenwood Cemetery. After his death, his son Don ran the newspapers. The Guy U. Hardy Award for Service to Outdoor Recreation was created in his name to recognize people in the community who "help preserve, protect and advocate for providing outdoor recreation opportunities." Hardy had a significant impact on outdoor recreational opportunities in the

area.

Electoral history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Guy Urban 1872 births 1947 deaths Transylvania University alumni American Disciples of Christ Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado People from Abingdon, Illinois People from Cañon City, Colorado 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives