Warren E. Hearnes
| Warren E. Hearnes | |
|---|---|
Hearnes in 1969.
|
|
| 46th Governor of Missouri | |
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In office January 11, 1965 – January 8, 1973 |
|
| Lieutenant |
Thomas Eagleton (1965–1968) Vacant (1968–1969) William S. Morris (1969–1973) |
| Preceded by | John M. Dalton |
| Succeeded by | Christopher S. "Kit" Bond |
| 31st Missouri Secretary of State | |
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In office January 9, 1961 – January 11, 1965 |
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| Governor | John M. Dalton |
| Preceded by | Robert W. Crawford |
| Succeeded by | James Kirkpatrick |
| Member of the Missouri House of Representatives | |
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In office 1951–1961 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Warren Eastman Hearnes July 24, 1923 Moline, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 16, 2009 (aged 86) Charleston, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Betty Cooper Hearnes |
| Alma mater | United States Military Academy, University of Missouri School of Law |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1941–1949 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Warren Eastman Hearnes (July 24, 1923 – August 16, 2009) was an American politician and the 46th Governor of Missouri from 1965 to 1973. He was the first Missouri Governor eligible to serve two consecutive four-year terms, and a lifelong Democrat. He was married to Betty Cooper Hearnes (born July 24, 1927), a former Missouri State Representative and Democratic Party nominee for Governor in 1988.
Born in Moline, Illinois, Hearnes moved to Charleston, Missouri as a child and resided there until his death. After high school, he attended the University of Missouri for a year and a half, until he was drafted. Soon after reporting for duty, Hearnes was appointed by President Roosevelt to the United States Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1946. He married Betty Cooper, his childhood sweetheart, on July 2, 1947.
He served in the U.S. Army and was medically discharged in 1949 after he broke his ankle in a softball game. He was a 1952 graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law. While attending law school, he was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1950 and served until 1961. He served as majority floor leader from 1957 until leaving office.
In 1960, he ran for Missouri Secretary of State. In the primary, he defeated James Kirkpatrick, garnering 42.15% of the vote. He defeated Joseph Badgett in the general election with 56.18% of the vote.
In 1964 he challenged the remnants of the Tom Pendergast political machine in the race for governor. During the primary he campaigned against Kansas City establishment candidate Hilary A. Bush charging, "At one time all Missouri was controlled from Kansas City by a man named Pendergast. This type of machine politics should never be allowed to rear its ugly head again in Missouri politics." Among Hearnes' planks was an effort to gain support in western Missouri by the establishment of a four-year college (Missouri Western State University) in the population center of St. Joseph, Missouri despite the presence of a state college (Northwest Missouri State University) less than 50 miles away in the much smaller city of Maryville, Missouri.
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