Harvey Wesley Hardy (October 29, 1825 – January 10, 1913) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Harvey W. Hardy
7th Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska
In office
1877–1879
Preceded bySeth P. Galey
Succeeded byRobert D. Silver
Personal details
Born
Harvey Wesley Hardy

(1825-10-29)October 29, 1825
Perry, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 10, 1913(1913-01-10) (aged 87)
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
Resting placeWyuka Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
Prohibition (1884–1896)
Republican (1856–1884)
Whig (before 1856)
Spouse
Charlotte Abbott
(m. 1855; died 1897)
Parents
  • Samuel Hardy (father)
  • Polly Parker (mother)
EducationGenesee Community College

Life edit

Harvey Wesley Hardy was born on October 29, 1825, to Samuel Hardy and Polly Parker in Perry, New York and his family moved to Gainesville, New York in 1830.[1] Hardy attended public schools until he was seventeen, then attended Wesleyan Seminary, and graduated from Genesee Community College. Afterwards, he became superintendent of schools in Gainesville and then Wyoming county superintendent. On June 6, 1855, he married Charlotte Abbott and would later have four children with her. In 1868, he moved to Aurora, Illinois and then moved to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1870, where he operated furniture businesses in both places.[2]

Hardy joined the Whig Party and later joined the Republican Party shortly after it was founded. In 1877, he was elected as mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska and then again in 1878, and during his tenure he created a $1,000 liquor license fee.[3] During the 1884 presidential election, he joined the Prohibition Party and supported former Kansas Governor John St. John.[4] In 1884, he ran for the Nebraska State Senate and for governor in 1886 with the Prohibition nominations. During the 1896 presidential election he supported William Jennings Bryan.[2]

Hardy died in Lincoln, Nebraska on January 10, 1913.[2][5]

Electoral history edit

Harvey W. Hardy electoral history
1886 Nebraska gubernatorial election[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican John Milton Thayer 76,456 55.18% +0.64%
Democratic James E. North 52,456 37.86% -5.29%
Prohibition Harvey W. Hardy 8,198 5.92% +3.62%
National J. Burrows 1,422 1.03% +1.03%
Independent Write-ins 30 0.02% +0.01%
Total votes '138,562' '100.00%'

References edit

  1. ^ Sawyer, Andrew J. (January 1, 1916). "Lincoln: The Capital City and Lancaster County, Nebraska, Volume 2". S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 742 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c "Harvey Wesley Hardy, 1825-1913". Archived from the original on March 22, 2020.
  3. ^ "Past Mayors of Lincoln, NE". Archived from the original on March 22, 2020.
  4. ^ Richardson, Darcy (January 1, 2007). Others: Third Parties During the Populist Period. p. 47. ISBN 9780595443048 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Former Mayor Hardy Dead At Age Of Eighty-Eight". Lincoln Journal Star. January 10, 1913. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "NE Governor 1886". September 28, 2009.