Herbert S. Hadley

Herbert S. Hadley
Hadley,c.1909
32ndGovernor of Missouri
In office January 11, 1909 – January 13, 1913
Lieutenant	Jacob F. Gmelich
Preceded by	Joseph W. Folk
Succeeded by	Elliot Woolfolk Major
24th Attorney General of Missouri
In office 1905–1909
Governor	Joseph W. Folk
Preceded by	Edward Coke Crow
Succeeded by	Elliot Woolfolk Major
7thChancellor of Washington University in St. Louis
In office 1923–1927
Preceded by	Frederic Aldin Hall
Succeeded by	George R. Throop
Personal details
Born	Herbert Spencer Hadley (1872-02-20)February 20, 1872 Olathe, Kansas,U.S.
Died	December 1, 1927(1927-12-01)(aged 55) St. Louis, Missouri,U.S.
Resting place	Riverview Cemetery Jefferson City, Missouri,U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Agnes Lee ​ (m.1901)​
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Kansas(AB) Northwestern University School of Law
Signature

Herbert Spencer Hadley(February 20, 1872 – December 1, 1927) was anAmericanlawyerand aRepublican Partypolitician fromSt. Louis, Missouri.Born inOlathe, Kansas,he wasMissouri Attorney Generalfrom 1905 to 1909 andin 1908 was electedthe32nd Governor of Missouri,serving one term from 1909 to 1913. As Attorney General, he successfully prosecutedStandard Oil Companyfor violating Missouriantitrust law.Entering the1912 Republican convention,theRooseveltandTaftforces seemed evenly matched, and Hadley was seen as a possible compromise candidate. While Taft was supportive of the idea, Roosevelt refused.

Early life and family

Herbert Spencer Hadley was born on February 20, 1872, inOlathe, Kansas.He was the son of Major John Milton Hadley and Harriet Beach Jones Hadley. He attended theUniversity of Kansas,where he was a member ofPhi Kappa Psifraternity and received aBachelor of Artsin 1892. He earned his law degree fromNorthwestern Universitywith first honors in 1894. While at Northwestern, he helped establish theNorthwestern University Law Review.In 1891 and 1894, Hadley won first prize in Missouri's oratorical contest.

On October 8, 1901, Hadley married Agnes Lee. Their children were John Milton, Henrietta, and Herbert Spencer.

Career

Hadley practiced law inKansas City, Missouri.His first public office as Kansas City assistant city counselor began in 1898. He was the prosecuting attorney forJackson County, Missourifrom 1901 to 1903. In this position, Hadley developed a reputation for vigorous prosecution, including an investigation of jury tampering in the civil courts and a campaign against public gambling.Although he was not re-elected as prosecuting attorney, Hadley was elected as attorney general for Missouri and served in that capacity from 1905 to 1909. As attorney general, he prosecuted successful cases against Standard Oil Company, railroads, several trusts, and St. Louis racetrack gamblers.

Hadley in 1912

During his term as attorney general, Hadley was the highest-ranking elected Republican official in Missouri. This, combined with Hadley's success with the Standard Oil Company suit and his record for reform, contributed to his1908 electionas governor of Missouri. His administration enacted penal reform, expanded safety and public health regulations, and established a nurse examiners' board, a fish and game commission, a game protection board, and a Missouri waterways commission. Many of Hadley's recommendations for change in other government sectors, such as revenue and public service, were not supported by theMissouri General Assembly.In 1912, Hadley served as floor leader forTheodore Roosevelt'swing of the Republican Party at the1912 Republican National Convention.After the death of Vice PresidentJames S. Shermanin October 1912, PresidentWilliam Howard Taftstrongly considered naming Hadley as Sherman's replacement on the 1912 Republican ticket, but Taft ultimately did not select a replacement before the election was held.

Following his gubernatorial term, Hadley resumed his law practice and worked on a federal railroad valuation project. In 1917, he moved to Colorado for health reasons and was professor of law at theUniversity of Coloradothrough 1923.

Washington University

Hadley became the seventh Chancellor ofWashington University in St. Louisin 1923. He was recruited for the position byRobert S. Brookingswho helped establish the Graduate School of Economics and Government, which became part of theBrookings Institutionin 1927. During his four years as chancellor, the University also founded theGeorge Warren Brown Department of Social Work,which later became its own school within the university and one of the top-ranked social-work programs in the United States. As a law professor, he authoredRome and the World Today(Putnam, 1922).

Advocacy and death

Throughout his later years, Hadley was an advocate of legal reform and participated in reform initiatives of theAmerican Bar Association,American Law Institute,and National Crime Commission. He was one of the authors of theMissouri Crime Survey,which recommended and successfully led to the intermediate reformatories and parole boards as part of Missouri's penal system.

Hadley was the recipient of honorary degrees from Northwestern University (1909), theUniversity of Missouri(1910), andHarvard University(1925).

He died in 1927 ofheart diseaseinSt Louis, Missouri,and is buried at the Riverview Cemetery inJefferson City, Missouri.

See also

• Hadley portrait case inSamantha Littlefield Huntley

Sources

• "Herbert Spencer Hadley."Dictionary of American Biography Base Set. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928–1936".Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group.

External links

• Biographical entryat Washington University in St. Louis
• Herbert S. HadleyatFind a Grave