Brown County Biographies From "The Annals of Brown County", Grant Harrington, 1903
Joseph D. Hardy.
Hon. Joseph D. Hardy, who has
twice represented Brown county in
the legislature at Topeka, is a pioneer of the class of 1858. He came to
Brown county in March of that year
and preempted the land comprising
part of the land where he now lives.
He located however at Hiawatha
and commenced freighting from
White Cloud to Hiawatha and pursued this and various other pursuits
until he began to Improve his land.
In August 1860 on account of the extensive drouth he returned to New
York and In August 1862 enlisted in
Company F of the 118th New York
Infantry and served until the close
of the rebellion. He retained his
Brown County claim however and in
1866 returned to it and has since resided there.
He has increased his holdings until to day he owns 360 acres of rich
and well improved with a fine residence, large barn and graneries, fine
orchards and other extensive improvements. In 1873 when the
Grange movement was organized in
Brown county Mr. Hardy became
one of the charter members of the
Fairfield Grange. In October of that
year a Farmers' Convention was
held at the court house and a county
ticket was nominated. Mr. Hardy
was nominated for the legislature
and at the following election received 922 votes as against 467 for his
Republican opponent, J. G. Spencer.
He was unanimously renominated
by the Reform party two years later
and although he lead his ticket by
more than 100 votes was defeated by
M. C. Willis, the Republican candidate, the vote standing Hardy 641,
Willis 699. In 1887 Mr. Hardy was
nominated by the Democrats for the
legislature and made the race for the
third term polling more than his
party vote.
Mr. Hardy was an active member
of the Alliance at its organization in
1889. At the first Peoples' Party
convention held in the county In July
of that year he was elected a delegate to the state convention at Topeka where he was made chairman
of the credential committee. At the
county convention of the party that
year he was made the nominee for
the legislature and later in the campaign was endorsed by the Democratic county convention. At the
fall election he received 2408 votes, his
Republican opponent, A. Carothers
receiving but 2050. Two years later
he was renominated by the Populists and again endorsed by the Democrats, but the county
went Republican that year and he was defeated
for reelection along with the rest of
his ticket. He was a delegate from
Kansas to the Peoples' Party National convention In 1896 which nominated Wm. J. Bryan for President
and Tom Watson for Vice-President.
He was also a delegate to the Peoples' Party National convention at
Sioux Falls, S. D., in 1900 which
nominated W. J. Bryan for President and Chas. A. Towne for Vice-President.
Mr. Hardy was born at Westport,
Essex county New York August 2nd
1835. His father was a soldier in the
war of 1812 and his grandfather was
a soldier in the Revolution. He received the advantages of a common
school education and taught a number of years in his native
state before coming to Kansas. He is a student of economic and political
questions, has a well selected library on
these subjects and keeps fully abreast
of the times. Mr. Hardy was married in June 1866 in New York to
Margaret Orminston daughter of
John and Margaret Orminston of
good old Scottish stock. They have
two daughters, Isabella, and Linda
a graduate of Kirksville school of
Osteopathy. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy
are both members of the Congregational church.
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This website created Jan. 11, 2012 by Sheryl McClure. � 2011 Kansas History and Heritage Project
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