Martin D. Hardin

Hardin was born June 21, 1780, along the Monongahela River in western Pennsylvania.[1] He was the eldest son of Colonel John and Jane (Davies) Hardin.[2] Named for his grandfather, he adopted the middle initial "D." to distinguish between them.[3] The Hardin family moved to Kentucky in April 1786, settling near the present-day city of Springfield in Washington (then Nelson) County.[3][4]

Hardin matriculated to Transylvania Seminary (now Transylvania University) in Lexington, Kentucky.[1] Afterward, he read law with George Nicholas.[4] He was admitted to the bar in 1801 and commenced practice in Richmond, Kentucky.[4] He owned slaves.[5] Among those who read law in his office were his cousin, U.S. Representative Benjamin Hardin; and future Kentucky Governor and Postmaster General Charles A. Wickliffe.[6] Although he was not particularly politically ambitious, Hardin was elected to represent Madison County in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1805, serving a single term.[3] He was chosen clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1808.[7] In 1810, he published Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of Kentucky, covering the proceedings of the court between the years of 1805 and 1808.[3]

On January 20, 1809, he married Elizabeth Logan, daughter of famed Kentucky pioneer Benjamin Logan.[8][9] Their eldest son, John J. Hardin, represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives and was killed in the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican–American War.[8]

In his work Life of Lincoln, Ward Hill Lamon promoted the notion that Abraham Lincoln was an illegitimate child of Nancy Hanks; Hardin was proffered as Lincoln's potential father.[9] In a 1920 essay, William Barton opines that Hardin's paternity was unlikely since both he and Hanks were married at the time, and because Hardin's usual travels – to his law practice in Richmond and to state business in Frankfort – took him in the opposite direction of Nancy Hanks-Lincoln's house.[9] The rumor arose from an inability to locate Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks' marriage license at the courthouse in Hardin County, Kentucky; the license was later found in the courthouse in Washington County, effectively discrediting the rumor.[10]

Politically, Hardin favored the construction of internal improvements at federal expense and adhered to a loose interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.[3] His entry in the 1936 Dictionary of American Biography notes that, while some of his fellow Kentuckians believed he was a Federalist, Hardin was actually a national Democrat who probably would have associated with the Whig Party had he lived long enough to see its formation.[3]

In April 1812, as the War of 1812 became more imminent, Hardin wrote to Isaac Shelby, Kentucky's first governor and a hero of the Revolutionary War, asking him to consent to being a candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial election.[11] Shelby went on to win the election, and Hardin, who had by this time relocated to Frankfort, was elected to represent Franklin County in the Kentucky House.[8] In August 1812, shortly after the election, Shelby appointed Hardin Secretary of State.[3] According to Shelby's executive journal, Hardin resigned on or before February 3, 1813.[12] The next day, Shelby nominated Hardin's assistant, former Governor Christopher Greenup, to replace him.[12] Greenup served only a month, resigning on March 11, 1813, after which Hardin was re-appointed and served for the remainder of Shelby's term.[12]

Hardin volunteered for service in the War of 1812. He was one of two majors serving under John Allen; future Kentucky Governor George Madison was the other.[13] Hardin's unit pursued Tecumseh through northern Ohio and Michigan and participated in the Battle of the River Raisin.[8][13]

On November 13, 1816, Governor Gabriel Slaughter appointed Hardin to the U.S. Senate seat vacated when William T. Barry resigned.[8] The appointment was only effective until the General Assembly convened later that year.[3] When the Kentucky Senate convened, the senators elected him to serve out the remainder of Barry's term.[3] Hardin did not seek re-election at the expiration of the term.[3] In total, he served from November 13, 1816 to March 3, 1817.[1]

In 1818, Hardin returned to the Kentucky House, serving until 1820 and acting as Speaker of the House from 1819 to 1820.[1]

In December 1820, Hardin was a candidate to become president of the Bank of Kentucky, but John Harvie was chosen instead.[8] The following year, he was chosen as a presidential elector, voting for James Monroe.[8]

Hardin died in Frankfort in 1823, and was interred on his farm in Franklin County, Kentucky.[1] His remains were later re-interred in the State Cemetery in Frankfort.[1]

• American National Biography

• Martin D. Hardin at Find a Grave