Parker Watkins Hardin
| Parker Watkins Hardin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Attorney General of Kentucky | |
|
In office 1879–1888 |
|
| Preceded by | Thomas Moss |
| Succeeded by | W. J. Hendricks |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 3, 1841 Adair County, Kentucky |
| Died | July 25, 1920 (aged 79) Richmond, Virginia |
| Resting place | Frankfort Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary E. Sallee (m. 1864) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Parker Watkins ("Wat") Hardin (June 3, 1841 – July 25, 1920) was a politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. From 1879 to 1888, he served as Attorney General of Kentucky. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Kentucky in 1891, 1895 and 1899.
Parker Watkins Hardin was born in Adair County, Kentucky. He was the second child of Parker C. and Carolina (Watkins) Hardin. His father was the nephew of Congressman Benjamin Hardin and served in the Kentucky Senate from 1840 to 1848. Known to friends as "P. Wat," "Watt," "P. W.," "Parker," and sometimes "Polly Wolly", the younger Hardin was educated in the schools of Adair County, then studied law with his father.
In December 1864, Hardin married Mary E. Sallee. The couple had four children. The following year, he was admitted to the bar of Columbia, the county seat of Adair County. He formed a law partnership with his brother, Charles A. Hardin, in the city of Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
Hardin's political career began in 1865 when he was elected city attorney for the city of Danville, Kentucky. In 1879, state Democrats nominated him for attorney general. A polished orator, he stumped for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Luke P. Blackburn when Blackburn became ill during the campaign. Despite Blackburn's illness, the entire Democratic slate was elected.
Hardin was re-nominated in 1883 on a Democratic slate that included J. Proctor Knott for governor against Republican Thomas Z. Morrow. Morrow's brother-in-law, William O. Bradley, was one of the Republican Party's strongest speakers, and he vigorously attacked the record of previous Democratic administrations, particularly that of Governor Blackburn. Hardin defended Blackburn's administration in a speech that drew heavy praise from Louisville Courier-Journal editor Henry Watterson. Watterson reprinted Hardin's entire speech in the Courier-Journal. Once again, the entire Democratic slate was elected by a large majority.
...
Wikipedia