George W. Hardy, Jr.
George Washington Hardy, Jr. (January 15, 1900 â July 15, 1967), was an attorney from Shreveport, Louisiana, who served as mayor from 1932 to 1934 and as a judge of the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal from 1943 until his death in office.[1]
| George Washington Hardy, Jr. | |
 Hardy in his early years | |
| In office 1932â1934 | |
| Preceded by | John McWilliams Ford (interim) |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Sam Caldwell |
Judge of the Louisiana
Second Circuit Court of Appeal | |
| In office 1943 â July 15, 1967 | |
| Born | January 15, 1900 Corsicana, Navarro County Texas, USA |
| Died | {July 15, 1967 (aged 67) Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Nationality | United States |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Holbrook Hardy |
| Relations | Charles B. Peatross (nephew) |
| Children | John Holbrook Hardy George W. Hardy, III |
| Residence | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | Former Shreveport High School Virginia Military Institute |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Christian Church |
Military Service
| |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Background
Hardy was born in Corsicana in Navarro County southeast of Dallas, Texas, to George Hardy, Sr. (1859-1947), and the former Llewella "Lula" Garlick (1866-1937).[2] He moved to Shreveport when he was seven years of age. Hardy graduated in 1917 from the former Shreveport High School. He thereafter attended Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, from which he graduated in 1920 after a hiatus for service in the United States Army during World War I. He studied for two years at Louisiana State University Law Center in Baton Rouge and was admitted in 1922 to the Louisiana Bar Association.[1]
Hardy and his wife, the former Mary Eleanor Holbrook (born c. 1902), had two sons, John Holbrook Hardy (born 1928), of Shreveport and George W. Hardy, III (1932-1996), of Lafayette.[1] He had a sister, Greenwood Hardy Brinkmann (1892-1986), the wife of Francis Charles Brinkmann, Jr. (1890-1967), of Shreveport.[3] One of Judge Hardy's nephews, Charles B. Peatross,[2] was a Shreveport city attorney and city council member who like his uncle later served on the circuit court of appeal.[4]
Career
Hardy first practiced law in Shreveport with his father. In 1932, upon his election at the age of thirty-two, Hardy served a single two-year term as mayor of Shreveport, which then operated under the city commission government. In 1943, Governor Sam Houston Jones, appointed Hardy to the circuit court of appeals, to which he was later twice elected. At the time of his death, Hardy was the presiding judge of the appeal court. In 1964, Judge Hardy was named an honorary member of the national law fraternity, the Order of the Coif. He wrote the draft copy of Uniform Rules of the Courts of Appeal and was a president of the Conference of Judges of Louisiana. He published in legal journals and was known as well for his social commentary. In 1964, in a speech before the Shreveport Bar Association, he warned against "extremist" individuals and groups who would thwart the processes of law and endanger the well-being of the nation.[1] Another circuit court judge, James Edwin Bolin, Sr. (1914-2002), of Webster Parish, was known for similar social commentary at the time. Bolin's 1969 speech "The Spirit of Rebellion" was critical of demonstrators during the Vietnam War who undermined the American military personnel.[5] Fred W. Jones, Jr., a district judge who later joined the circuit court, voiced similar remarks at public forums.[6]
Hardy was a member of the Kings Highway Christian Church in Shreveport and was active with the Boy Scouts of America and the American Legion. In 1966, he was appointed to the state Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee and served until his death the next year as the committee chairman.[1]
Hardy died of a brief illness at the age of sixty-seven and is interred at Forest Park East Cemetery in Shreveport.[1]
References
- â 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Appeal court judge, former mayor dies. Shreveport Journal through Findagrave.com (July 17, 1967). Retrieved on December 16, 2020.
- â 2.0 2.1 Dr. G. M. G. Stafford. The Lyons Family (page 109). Retrieved on December 16, 2020.
- â Francis Charles and Greenwood Hardy Brinkmann. werelate.org. Retrieved on December 16, 2020.
- â Charles Brinkmann Peatross. The Shreveport Times (January 30, 2015). Retrieved on December 16, 2020.
- â "Bolin Civitan Guest," Minden Press-Herald, September 17, 1969, p. 1.
- â "Fred Jones is speaker at Jaycee proceedings," Minden Press-Herald, March 14, 1975, p. 1.