Lawyers and Lawmakers of Kentucky, by H. Levin, editor, 1897. Published
by Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago.  Reprinted by Southern Historical
Press.  p. 196.  Nelson County.

BENJAMIN HARDIN was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1784,
and died in Bardstown, Kentucky, on the 24th of September, 1853.  His
parents, Ben and Sarah Hardin, removed to Kentucky in 1787, locating in
Washington county, near Springfield.  "Ben" Hardin, as he was always
called, was reared in a pioneer home on the Kentucky frontier; he was
educated under private instruction, his first teacher being Icahod Radley.
He afterward attended school in Bardstown and Hartford, and continued his
education under the direction of Daniel Berry, an Irish linguist and a
teacher of high repute.  He began the study of law in Richmond in 1804,
under the instruction of Martin D. Hardin, and in 1805 became a student
in the law office of Judge Felix Grundy, of Bardstown.  The year following
he was admitted to the bar and he began practice in Elizabethtown, where
he remained for two years.  Through the next half century the bar of the
new state of Kentucky won a place among the most able of the country; in
fact it was widely accorded the leadership.  It included in its membership
some of the brightest minds of the nation, and Benjamin Hardin was
enumerated in this most distinguished coterie of lawyers.  His methods
of procedure before court or jury were simple.  He relied upon justice,
truth and the facts in evidence to secure a verdict favorable to his
clients.  No point ever escaped him and his arguments followed each other
in logical sequence and led up to a climax that set forth the truth with
startling clearness.  He was extremely sarcastic in speech and this
element combined with an aptness and clearness in presenting a case made
him a formidable opponent.
     In 1808 Mr. Hardin sought a broader field of usefulness and greater
opportunities in Bardstown, one of the chief law centers of the state,
then famous for the high character of the members of its bar.  From that
time until his death he was one of the brightest stars in the legal
firmament.  He was regarded by many as the ablest jurist of his day west
of the Alleghenies.  His clientage was by no means confined to the county
in which he resided, but extended over Nelson, Washington, Hardin,
Bullitt, Meade, Grayson, Marion, Breckinridge, Spencer, and other counties
and was of the most important character.  He also practiced in the court
of appeals, in the Louisville courts, and in Indiana and other states.
He was connected with almost all litigation of note that was heard in
his section of the state for forty-six years.  His fame spread abroad
throughout Kentucky, nor was it limited by the confines of this state
alone.  His high reputation therefore soon secured him an extensive
following and within a few years he was at the head of one of the most
extensive law practices in the state.  His comprehensive legal learning,
his keen analytical mind that never lost sight of a single point, his
readiness in argument and his masterful oratory all gave him a power and
strength at the bar which was difficult to combat.  His memory was
extraordinary and upon it he greatly relied.  Taking no notes during the
hearing of a case, in the concluding argument he would trace correctly
the evidence of many witnesses and answer every point of the opposing
counsel.  His advocacy frequently towered to the loftiest domain of
eloquence of truth,--the still, small voice of justice, pleading through
him, for the recognition and protection of the right.  He disdained
everything like mere factitious ornament and invariably sought to present
his argument in the strong, clear light of common reason and sound legal
principle.
     Mr. Hardin lived in what may well be termed the formative period of
state and nation, and left the impress of his strong personality upon
both.  It was but natural that one who viewed so broadly all issues of
the day should be made the people's representative in the council
chambers where were decided those questions on which hung not only the
welfare of Kentucky but also of the entire Union.  In 1810 he took his
seat as a member of the general assembly of Kentucky, and continued in
the house through 1810, 1811, 1824 and 1825.  Three years later he was
elected to the state senate, where he served from 1828 to 1832.  In 1833
he was one of the thirteen presidential electors from Kentucky and again
served in that capacity until 1845.  He gave his support to the Whig
party from its organization, and took a most active part in shaping the
legislation and moulding the policy of the state.  When not connected
with the general assembly of Kentucky, he represented his district in
congress and was one of only nineteen, during the entire history of the
state, who have served for eight years or more in congress.  He was first
elected in 1815, for a term of two years; and again elected in 1819,
serving four years; and in 1833 was once more made the representative of
his district, and continued in Washington until 1837.  He was regarded as
one of the ablest debaters in the house.  In 1844 he was elected secretary
of state of Kentucky, but resigned in February, 1847, owing to a
disagreement with Governor William Owsley, which brought on one of the
most heated controversies that has ever occurred between men of prominence
in public life in the state.  His speech defending himself before the
senate committee on executive affairs, in January, 1847, was remarkable for
its length, power and keenness.  In 1849 he was made a member of the
constitutional convention of the state from Nelson county and performed an
important part in framing the organic law upon which rested the
commonwealth for forty-one years.  His superior knowledge of constitutional
law, his comprehensive views of the needs, requirements and best interests
of the state, and his wonderful foresight, guided by sound judgment, made
him a most valuable member of the convention.  This was his last public
service and ended a career that has materially advanced the welfare of
Kentucky and given it a most prominent place in the galaxy of states that
form the Union.  He was a gifted orator, his delivery was animated and he
had that eloquence which is not born of rhetoric but springs from the
inspiration of the occasion.  He was frequently called upon to address
public assemblies, and delivered the address in Harrodsburg on the occasion
of the celebration of the sixty-sixth anniversary of the admission of
Kentucky into the Union.
     Mr. Hardin was married in 1806 to Miss Barbour.  His person was tall
and commanding, his eye remarkably keen and penetrating, and his
countenance exhibited striking indications of decided talent.  In the
legislative halls of state and nation all acknowledge his worth, while
his reputation at the bar classed him among the most brilliant jurists
that this country has produced.  His name is indissolubly linked with
Kentucky's history.

Hardin Radley Barry Grundy Barbour
=
Washington-KY Westmoreland-PA

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/nelson/hardin.b.txt