Parker Watkins Hardin
Encyclopedia
Parker Watkins 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.
. 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
.
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.
John Y. Brown, Cassius Clay, Jr. (nephew of the noted abolitionist), and Dr. John Daniel Clardy
, a member of Kentucky's Farmers' Alliance
. In the Democratic nominating convention, Brown led the field with 275 votes to Clay's 264, Clardy's 190, and Hardin's 186. Clay and Clardy split the votes of the state's agricultural interests, while Hardin and Clardy divided the free silver
votes.
The vote count changed little over the next nine ballots, although Hardin moved ahead of Clardy. After the tenth ballot, the convention chair announced that the candidate with the fewest votes would be dropped. That turned out to be Clardy, and his delegates split their votes nearly equally among the remaining three candidates. On the next vote, Hardin was dropped. His delegates supported Brown, who won the nomination on the thirteenth ballot. Brown went on to win the governorship over candidates from the Republican, Populist
, and Prohibition parties.
Seeing the split in the Democratic ranks over the money question, Republicans
, having never won the governorship of Kentucky before, put forth their strongest candidate, William O. Bradley, to oppose Hardin. The Populist Party also put forth a strong candidate, Thomas Pettit of Owensboro
. The major party candidates agreed to a series of debates across the state. The first debate was held in Louisville
on August 19, 1895. Hardin opened the debate with an attack on the Republican Party for its "carpetbagger
despotism" during Reconstruction. Though pro-Southern oratory had long been a campaign tactic of Democratic candidates, Hardin was shocked by a heckler who cried out "The war is over; give us something else." The comment shocked Hardin, and the rest of his performance in the debate was affected. Even sympathetic newspapers admitted that his usual glowing oratory had failed him.
Despite the official party platform in favor of the gold standard
, Hardin threw his support to the free silver position early in the race, believing he needed to do so in order to keep the party's rural agrarians from bolting to the Republicans. The strategy backfired as conservative Democrats abandoned the party. Sitting Democratic governor Brown refused to campaign for Hardin, and the Populist Party
also ran Thomas S. Pettit
, who siphoned off votes for Hardin. Republican Bradley also gained some Democratic votes from the American Protective Association
, a secret fraternal group opposed to Catholics
and immigrants. In the general election, Hardin lost to Bradley 172,436 to 163,524.
William Johnson Stone
and state senator
William Goebel
. Hardin was the early favorite to win the nomination. He was supported by the powerful Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad
and by Louisville political boss
John Henry Whallen
. His free silver views helped him with the state's populist voters, but Stone, from rural western Kentucky, was also courting those voters. Stone had an additional advantage among this group because he was not associated with a large corporation like the L&N. Goebel primarily had his support among the state's urban areas.
Just prior to the nominating convention, representatives for Goebel and Stone met to negotiate a deal whereby they could overcome the front-runner, Hardin. Goebel agreed to instruct half of his delegates from Louisville to vote for Stone in exchange for Stone's support of his choice of convention chairman. The two sides further agreed that if their candidate was defeated or withdrew, their delegates would support the other and not Hardin.
The convention opened on June 21, 1899 in Louisville's Music Hall. Stone supporter Ollie M. James
nominated Judge David B. Redwine for chairman. When Urey Woodson
, a Goebel supporter, seconded the nomination, the deal between the two men became apparent to all. Hardin supporters nominated William H. Sweeney of Marion County
, but Sweeney was defeated by a vote of 551 1/6 to 529 5/6. Hardin incurred a further disadvantage when only four of his supporters were named to the thirteen-member committee on credentials. This committee would decide which delegates would be allowed to vote from delegations that were contested.
The following day, the credentials committee issued its report, which shifted 159 1/3 votes from Hardin to Goebel and Stone. Chairman Redwine only allowed uncontested delegations to vote on the committee's report, which was approved 441 to 328. This series of procedural defeats discouraged Hardin, and he announced his withdrawal from the race. As voting began, some Hardin delegates refused to acknowledge his withdrawal and voted for him anyway. When the Louisville delegation voted, they cast all their votes for Goebel instead of splitting them with Stone, as had been agreed earlier by the two men. At the end of the balloting, the vote was 520 for Goebel, 428 1/2 for Stone, and 126 1/2 for Hardin.
Seeing the collapse of the Stone-Goebel deal, Hardin supporters returned to their candidate on the second ballot, and they were joined by some outraged Stone supporters and even some of Goebel's delegates who were angered by his turnabout. The result of the second ballot was 395 5/12 for Stone, 359 11/16 for Hardin, and 330 2/3 for Goebel. Ten more ballots were taken before the convention adjourned for the day. The voting on the last ballot was 376 3/4 for Stone, 365 1/2 for Hardin, and 346 3/4 for Goebel.
The delegates did not convene on June 23 (a Sunday), but gathered to resume voting on Monday, June 24. The hall was packed with delegates and non-delegates; angered by Goebel's tactics and Redwine's biased rulings, both groups sang, shouted, and blew horns to disrupt the proceedings. Redwine attempted to take a roll call vote, but the noise made communication nearly impossible. Many delegations refused to vote under such conditions. Redwine announced a vote of 352 1/2 for Goebel, 261 1/2 for Stone, and 67 for Hardin, and declared Goebel the winner because he received a majority of the votes cast. Goebel declined to accept the nomination with anything less than a majority of the delegates present. Unable to proceed further, the convention adjourned for the day.
When the delegates gathered on June 25, both Stone and Hardin called for the convention to adjourn sine die
, but Redwine ruled the motion out of order. This decision was appealed, but Redwine ruled the appeal out of order. The raucous delegates promised not to disrupt the proceedings and accept the result of the day's voting. Seven more ballots were cast, and the vote stood at 398 for Stone, 355 for Hardin, and 328 for Goebel. Finally, the delegates adopted a resolution to drop the candidate with the fewest votes after the twenty-fifth ballot. The result of this ballot was 389 for Goebel, 382 3/4 for Hardin, and 319 1/4 for Stone. Stone was dropped, and on the next ballot, Goebel was nominated by a vote of 561 1/2 to 529 1/2.
Following the convention, Hardin made no comment on Goebel or his nomination by the convention. Some discontent delegates began calls for a new convention, although there is no evidence that Hardin or Stone directly played any part in the organization of such a convention. Neither Hardin nor Stone gave Goebel much active support in the governor's race, and the election was won by Republican
William S. Taylor
.
in Richmond, Virginia
at the age of 79. He was buried in Frankfort Cemetery
in Frankfort, Kentucky
.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. From 1879 to 1888, he served as Attorney General of Kentucky
Attorney General of Kentucky
The Attorney General of Kentucky is an office created by the Kentucky Constitution. . Under Kentucky law, he serves several roles, including the state's chief prosecutor , the state's chief law enforcement officer , and the state's chief law officer...
. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Kentucky
Governor of Kentucky
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of the executive branch of government in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Fifty-six men and one woman have served as Governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-election once...
in 1891, 1895 and 1899.
Early life
Parker Watkins Hardin was born in Adair County, KentuckyAdair County, Kentucky
Adair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population is 18,656. Its county seat is Columbia, Kentucky. The county is named for John Adair, then Speaker of the House in Kentucky and later Governor of Kentucky ....
. He was the second child of Parker C. and Carolina (Watkins) Hardin. His father was the nephew of Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Benjamin Hardin
Benjamin Hardin
Benjamin Hardin was a United States Representative from Kentucky. Martin Davis Hardin was his cousin. He was born at the Georges Creek settlement on the Monongahela River, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania and then moved with his parents to Washington County, Kentucky in 1788...
and served in the Kentucky Senate
Kentucky Senate
The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators...
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
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
of Columbia
Columbia, Kentucky
Columbia is a city in Adair County, Kentucky, United States, just above Russell Creek. The area was settled around 1802 by Daniel Trabue. The post office was opened on April 1, 1806 by John Field, who also ran a local store. The population was 4,014 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of...
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Adair County. He formed a law partnership with his brother, Charles A. Hardin, in the city of Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Harrodsburg, Kentucky
Harrodsburg is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,014 at the 2000 census. It is the oldest city in Kentucky.-History:...
.
Political career
Hardin's political career began in 1865 when he was elected city attorneyCity attorney
A city attorney can be an elected or appointed position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the city or municipality....
for the city of Danville, Kentucky
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
. In 1879, state Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nominated him for attorney general. A polished orator, he stumped for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Luke P. Blackburn
Luke P. Blackburn
Luke Pryor Blackburn was a physician, philanthropist, and politician from the US state of Kentucky. He was elected the 28th governor of Kentucky, serving from 1879 to 1883. Until the election of Ernie Fletcher in 2003, Blackburn was the only physician to serve as governor of Kentucky...
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
J. Proctor Knott
James Proctor Knott was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and served as the 29th Governor of Kentucky from 1883 to 1887. Born in Kentucky, he moved to Missouri in 1850 and began his political career there...
for governor against Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Thomas Z. Morrow
Thomas Z. Morrow
Thomas Zanzinger Morrow was a lawyer, judge, and politician from Kentucky. He was one of twenty-eight men who founded the Kentucky Republican Party. His brother-in-law, William O. Bradley, was elected governor of Kentucky in 1895, and his son, Edwin P...
. 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
Henry Watterson
Henry Watterson was a United States journalist who founded the Louisville Courier-Journal.He also served part of one term in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat....
. Watterson reprinted Hardin's entire speech in the Courier-Journal. Once again, the entire Democratic slate was elected by a large majority.
Gubernatorial election of 1891
Hardin was re-elected as attorney general 1887. In 1891, he was one of four men who sought the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. The others were ex-ConfederateConfederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
John Y. Brown, Cassius Clay, Jr. (nephew of the noted abolitionist), and Dr. John Daniel Clardy
John Daniel Clardy
John Daniel Clardy was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky.-Early life:John Clardy was born in Smith County, Tennessee on August 30, 1828. He was one of six sons and two daughters born to John C. and Elizabeth Clardy...
, a member of Kentucky's Farmers' Alliance
Farmers' Alliance
The Farmers Alliance was an organized agrarian economic movement amongst U.S. farmers that flourished in the 1880s. One of the goals of the organization was to end the adverse effects of the crop-lien system on farmers after the American Civil War...
. In the Democratic nominating convention, Brown led the field with 275 votes to Clay's 264, Clardy's 190, and Hardin's 186. Clay and Clardy split the votes of the state's agricultural interests, while Hardin and Clardy divided the free silver
Free Silver
Free Silver was an important United States political policy issue in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Its advocates were in favor of an inflationary monetary policy using the "free coinage of silver" as opposed to the less inflationary Gold Standard; its supporters were called...
votes.
The vote count changed little over the next nine ballots, although Hardin moved ahead of Clardy. After the tenth ballot, the convention chair announced that the candidate with the fewest votes would be dropped. That turned out to be Clardy, and his delegates split their votes nearly equally among the remaining three candidates. On the next vote, Hardin was dropped. His delegates supported Brown, who won the nomination on the thirteenth ballot. Brown went on to win the governorship over candidates from the Republican, Populist
Populist Party (United States)
The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...
, and Prohibition parties.
Gubernatorial election of 1895
Democrats entered the 1895 gubernatorial election badly split over the question of free silver. Party leaders John G. Carlisle, Henry Watterson, and William Lindsay were all advocates of sound money principles. At the party's nominating convention, these leaders succeeded in getting the party to adopt a platform that included a sound money plank. Nevertheless, the delegates chose Hardin, a free silver supporter, as their gubernatorial candidate over Cassius Clay, Jr., a sound money supporter. Historian James Klotter attributes the choice of Hardin to the candidate's overwhelming personal popularity.Seeing the split in the Democratic ranks over the money question, Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, having never won the governorship of Kentucky before, put forth their strongest candidate, William O. Bradley, to oppose Hardin. The Populist Party also put forth a strong candidate, Thomas Pettit of Owensboro
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
. The major party candidates agreed to a series of debates across the state. The first debate was held in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
on August 19, 1895. Hardin opened the debate with an attack on the Republican Party for its "carpetbagger
Carpetbagger
Carpetbaggers was a pejorative term Southerners gave to Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877....
despotism" during Reconstruction. Though pro-Southern oratory had long been a campaign tactic of Democratic candidates, Hardin was shocked by a heckler who cried out "The war is over; give us something else." The comment shocked Hardin, and the rest of his performance in the debate was affected. Even sympathetic newspapers admitted that his usual glowing oratory had failed him.
Despite the official party platform in favor of the gold standard
Gold standard
The gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed mass of gold. There are distinct kinds of gold standard...
, Hardin threw his support to the free silver position early in the race, believing he needed to do so in order to keep the party's rural agrarians from bolting to the Republicans. The strategy backfired as conservative Democrats abandoned the party. Sitting Democratic governor Brown refused to campaign for Hardin, and the Populist Party
Populist Party (United States)
The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...
also ran Thomas S. Pettit
Thomas S. Pettit
Thomas Stevenson Pettit was a newspaper publisher and politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. Orphaned at age ten, he found work in a printing house in his hometown of Frankfort. In 1864, he moved to Owensboro, Kentucky, and purchased a newspaper called the Monitor. He incurred the wrath of...
, who siphoned off votes for Hardin. Republican Bradley also gained some Democratic votes from the American Protective Association
American Protective Association
The American Protective Association, or APA was an American anti-Catholic society similar to the Know Nothings.-History:The APA was founded 13 March 1887 by Attorney Henry F. Bowers in Clinton, Iowa...
, a secret fraternal group opposed to Catholics
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and immigrants. In the general election, Hardin lost to Bradley 172,436 to 163,524.
Gubernatorial election of 1899
Hardin was among three men who sought the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1899. The others were former congressmanUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
William Johnson Stone
William Johnson Stone
William Johnson Stone was an US Representative from Kentucky.He was born in Kuttawa, Caldwell County, Kentucky on June 26, 1841. He attended the common schools and Q.M. Tyler’s Collegiate Institute in Cadiz, Trigg County. Stone studied law. During the American Civil War he served as captain in...
and state senator
Kentucky Senate
The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators...
William Goebel
William Goebel
William Justus Goebel was an American politician who served as the 34th Governor of Kentucky for a few days in 1900 after having been mortally wounded by an assassin the day before he was sworn in...
. Hardin was the early favorite to win the nomination. He was supported by the powerful Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
and by Louisville political boss
Political boss
A boss, in politics, is a person who wields the power over a particular political region or constituency. Bosses may dictate voting patterns, control appointments, and wield considerable influence in other political processes. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves...
John Henry Whallen
John Henry Whallen
John Henry Whallen was a Democratic Party political boss in Louisville, Kentucky during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in New Orleans, he moved with his family to Cincinnati, Ohio in his youth. As a boy during the Civil War he served the Confederate Army in Schoolfield's Battery as a...
. His free silver views helped him with the state's populist voters, but Stone, from rural western Kentucky, was also courting those voters. Stone had an additional advantage among this group because he was not associated with a large corporation like the L&N. Goebel primarily had his support among the state's urban areas.
Just prior to the nominating convention, representatives for Goebel and Stone met to negotiate a deal whereby they could overcome the front-runner, Hardin. Goebel agreed to instruct half of his delegates from Louisville to vote for Stone in exchange for Stone's support of his choice of convention chairman. The two sides further agreed that if their candidate was defeated or withdrew, their delegates would support the other and not Hardin.
The convention opened on June 21, 1899 in Louisville's Music Hall. Stone supporter Ollie M. James
Ollie M. James
Ollie Murray James , a Democrat, represented Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.-Biography:...
nominated Judge David B. Redwine for chairman. When Urey Woodson
Urey Woodson
Urey Woodson was a Kentucky Democrat and a newspaper editor and publisher.-Biography:He was the Kentucky railroad commissioner from 1891 to 1895. He was a member of Democratic National Committee from Kentucky from 1896 to 1912, 1916-1918, 1924-1928. He was a delegate to the Democratic National...
, a Goebel supporter, seconded the nomination, the deal between the two men became apparent to all. Hardin supporters nominated William H. Sweeney of Marion County
Marion County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,212 people, 6,613 households, and 4,754 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 7,277 housing units at an average density of...
, but Sweeney was defeated by a vote of 551 1/6 to 529 5/6. Hardin incurred a further disadvantage when only four of his supporters were named to the thirteen-member committee on credentials. This committee would decide which delegates would be allowed to vote from delegations that were contested.
The following day, the credentials committee issued its report, which shifted 159 1/3 votes from Hardin to Goebel and Stone. Chairman Redwine only allowed uncontested delegations to vote on the committee's report, which was approved 441 to 328. This series of procedural defeats discouraged Hardin, and he announced his withdrawal from the race. As voting began, some Hardin delegates refused to acknowledge his withdrawal and voted for him anyway. When the Louisville delegation voted, they cast all their votes for Goebel instead of splitting them with Stone, as had been agreed earlier by the two men. At the end of the balloting, the vote was 520 for Goebel, 428 1/2 for Stone, and 126 1/2 for Hardin.
Seeing the collapse of the Stone-Goebel deal, Hardin supporters returned to their candidate on the second ballot, and they were joined by some outraged Stone supporters and even some of Goebel's delegates who were angered by his turnabout. The result of the second ballot was 395 5/12 for Stone, 359 11/16 for Hardin, and 330 2/3 for Goebel. Ten more ballots were taken before the convention adjourned for the day. The voting on the last ballot was 376 3/4 for Stone, 365 1/2 for Hardin, and 346 3/4 for Goebel.
The delegates did not convene on June 23 (a Sunday), but gathered to resume voting on Monday, June 24. The hall was packed with delegates and non-delegates; angered by Goebel's tactics and Redwine's biased rulings, both groups sang, shouted, and blew horns to disrupt the proceedings. Redwine attempted to take a roll call vote, but the noise made communication nearly impossible. Many delegations refused to vote under such conditions. Redwine announced a vote of 352 1/2 for Goebel, 261 1/2 for Stone, and 67 for Hardin, and declared Goebel the winner because he received a majority of the votes cast. Goebel declined to accept the nomination with anything less than a majority of the delegates present. Unable to proceed further, the convention adjourned for the day.
When the delegates gathered on June 25, both Stone and Hardin called for the convention to adjourn sine die
Adjournment sine die
Adjournment sine die means "without assigning a day for a further meeting or hearing". To adjourn an assembly sine die is to adjourn it for an indefinite period...
, but Redwine ruled the motion out of order. This decision was appealed, but Redwine ruled the appeal out of order. The raucous delegates promised not to disrupt the proceedings and accept the result of the day's voting. Seven more ballots were cast, and the vote stood at 398 for Stone, 355 for Hardin, and 328 for Goebel. Finally, the delegates adopted a resolution to drop the candidate with the fewest votes after the twenty-fifth ballot. The result of this ballot was 389 for Goebel, 382 3/4 for Hardin, and 319 1/4 for Stone. Stone was dropped, and on the next ballot, Goebel was nominated by a vote of 561 1/2 to 529 1/2.
Following the convention, Hardin made no comment on Goebel or his nomination by the convention. Some discontent delegates began calls for a new convention, although there is no evidence that Hardin or Stone directly played any part in the organization of such a convention. Neither Hardin nor Stone gave Goebel much active support in the governor's race, and the election was won by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
William S. Taylor
William S. Taylor
William Sylvester Taylor was the 33rd Governor of Kentucky. He was initially declared the winner of the disputed gubernatorial election of 1899, but the Kentucky General Assembly reversed the election results, giving the victory to his opponent, William Goebel...
.
Later life
Hardin died of pneumoniaPneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
at the age of 79. He was buried in Frankfort Cemetery
Frankfort Cemetery
The Frankfort Cemetery is located on East Main Street in Frankfort, Kentucky. The cemetery is the burial site of Daniel Boone and contains the graves of other famous Americans including seventeen Kentucky governors.-History:...
in Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
.