Martin D. Hardin (June 21, 1780October 8, 1823) was a politician and lawyer from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. Born in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, his family immigrated to Kentucky when he was still young. He studied law under George Nicholas and commenced practice at

Richmond, Kentucky Richmond is a home rule-class city in Madison County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 34,585 as of the 2020 census, making it the state's seventh-largest city. It is the principal city of the Richmond–Berea micropolitan area, wh ...

. His cousin, future

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 ...

Benjamin Hardin, studied in his law office. He represented Madison County in the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...

for a single term. Hardin later moved to Frankfort and was elected to the Kentucky House to represent Franklin County.

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Isaac Shelby Isaac Shelby (December 11, 1750 – July 18, 1826) was an American politician and military officer who was the List of governors of Kentucky, first and fifth Governor of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Ca ...

appointed him Secretary of State soon after his election. Concurrent with his service, he participated in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, serving alongside future Kentucky Governor

George Madison George Madison (June 1763 – October 14, 1816) was the sixth Governor of Kentucky. He was the first governor of Kentucky to die in office, serving only a few weeks in 1816. Little is known of Madison's early life. He was a member of the influ ...

as majors in

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

John Allen's militia unit. Following the expiration of his term as Secretary of State, Governor

Gabriel Slaughter Gabriel Slaughter (December 12, 1767September 19, 1830) was the seventh Governor of Kentucky and was the first person to ascend to that office upon the death of the sitting governor. His family moved to Kentucky from Virginia when he was very y ...

appointed Hardin to the

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

seat vacated by William T. Barry, who resigned. Hardin served the remainder of Barry's term – approximately one year – and did not seek re-election. In 1819, he was elected to the Kentucky House for a third time and was chosen

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

. He died October 8, 1823. Hardin married the daughter of Kentucky pioneer Benjamin Logan, and their son, John J. Hardin, represented

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

in the U.S. House of Representatives before being killed at the

Battle of Buena Vista The Battle of Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847), known as the Battle of La Angostura in Mexico, and sometimes as Battle of Buena Vista/La Angostura, was a battle of the Mexican–American War. It was fought between U.S. forces, largely vol ...

. In his book ''Life of Lincoln'', Ward Hill Lamon speculated that future

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

may have been the

illegitimate child Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

of Hardin and Nancy Hanks, but the rumor was later debunked.

Early life and family

Hardin was born June 21, 1780, along the

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , ), sometimes referred to locally as the Mon (), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in nor ...

in western

."Hardin, Martin D.". ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' He was the eldest son of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and Jane (Davies) Hardin.Little, p. 23 Named for his grandfather, he adopted the middle initial "D." to distinguish between them."Martin D. Hardin". ''Dictionary of American Biography'' The Hardin family moved to

in April 1786, settling near the present-day city of Springfield in Washington (then

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

) County.Kleber, p. 403 Hardin matriculated to Transylvania Seminary (now

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 ...

) in

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 ...

. Afterward, he

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

with George Nicholas. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1801 and commenced practice in

. He owned slaves. Among those who read law in his office were his cousin,

Benjamin Hardin; and future Kentucky Governor and

Postmaster General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. History The practice of having a government official ...

Charles A. Wickliffe.Little, pp. 22, 204 Although he was not particularly politically ambitious, Hardin was elected to represent Madison County in the

in 1805, serving a single term. He was chosen clerk of the

Kentucky Court of Appeals The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illino ...

in 1808.Green, p. 178 In 1810, he published ''Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of Kentucky'', covering the proceedings of the court between the years of 1805 and 1808. On January 20, 1809, he married Elizabeth Logan, daughter of famed Kentucky pioneer Benjamin Logan.Kleber, p. 404Barton, p. 200 Their eldest son, John J. Hardin, represented

in the U.S. House of Representatives and was killed in the

during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. In his work ''Life of Lincoln'', Ward Hill Lamon promoted the notion that

was an

of Nancy Hanks; Hardin was proffered as Lincoln's potential father. In a 1920 essay, William Barton opines that Hardin's paternity was unlikely since both he and Hanks were married at the time, and because Hardin's usual travels – to his law practice in Richmond and to state business in Frankfort – took him in the opposite direction of Nancy Hanks-Lincoln's house. The rumor arose from an inability to locate Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks' marriage license at the courthouse in

Hardin County, Kentucky Hardin County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Elizabethtown. The county was formed in 1792. Hardin County is part of the Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area, as ...

; the license was later found in the courthouse in Washington County, effectively discrediting the rumor.Barton, p. 201

Political career

Politically, Hardin favored the construction of

internal improvements Internal improvements is the term used historically in the United States for public works from the end of the American Revolution through much of the 19th century, mainly for the creation of a transportation infrastructure: roads, turnpikes, can ...

at federal expense and adhered to a loose interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. His entry in the 1936 ''

Dictionary of American Biography The ''Dictionary of American Biography'' (DAB) was a multi-volume dictionary published in New York City by Charles Scribner's Sons under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). History The dictionary was first propo ...

'' notes that, while some of his fellow Kentuckians believed he was a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

, Hardin was actually a national Democrat who probably would have associated with the Whig Party had he lived long enough to see its formation. In April 1812, as the

became more imminent, Hardin wrote to

, Kentucky's first governor and a hero of the Revolutionary War, asking him to consent to being a candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial election.Connelley and Coulter, p. 552 Shelby went on to win the election, and Hardin, who had by this time relocated to Frankfort, was elected to represent Franklin County in the Kentucky House. In August 1812, shortly after the election, Shelby appointed Hardin Secretary of State. According to Shelby's executive journal, Hardin resigned on or before February 3, 1813."Secretary of State Martin D. Hardin". Kentucky Secretary of State The next day, Shelby nominated Hardin's assistant, former Governor

Christopher Greenup Christopher Greenup (c. 1750 – April 27, 1818) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative and the third Governor of Kentucky. Little is known about his early life; the first reliable records about him are documents recordi ...

, to replace him. Greenup served only a month, resigning on March 11, 1813, after which Hardin was re-appointed and served for the remainder of Shelby's term. Hardin volunteered for service in the

. He was one of two majors serving under John Allen; future Kentucky Governor

was the other.Green, p. 179 Hardin's unit pursued

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

through northern

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

and

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

and participated in the Battle of the River Raisin. On November 13, 1816, Governor

appointed Hardin to the

seat vacated when William T. Barry resigned. The appointment was only effective until the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

convened later that year. When the

Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout Kentucky, the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky senators. T ...

convened, the senators elected him to serve out the remainder of Barry's term. Hardin did not seek re-election at the expiration of the term. In total, he served from November 13, 1816, to March 3, 1817. In 1818, Hardin returned to the Kentucky House, serving until 1820 and acting as

from 1819 to 1820.

Later life and death

In December 1820, Hardin was a candidate to become president of the Bank of Kentucky, but John Harvie was chosen instead. The following year, he was chosen as a member of the Electoral College, voting for

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

. Hardin died in Frankfort in 1823, and was interred on his farm in

Franklin County, Kentucky Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,541, making it the second-least populous capital county in the United States after Hughes County, South Dakota. Its county seat ...

. His remains were later re-interred in the State Cemetery in Frankfort.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * *

External links