Lamartine Griffin Hardman (1856-1937)

65th Governor of Georgia. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in this position for two terms, from June 1927 until June 1931. The son of a doctor, he followed his father's career path and after his formal medical training, he joined his father's practice. He began acquiring a vast amount of real estate, making him one of the wealthiest persons in the county where he lived. In 1902 he entered politics when he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives and in 1907 he was elected to the Georgia state senate. With an interest in agriculture, he introduced legislation which required public schools to offer basic agricultural courses and established the State Board of Health. In 1926, at the age of 71, he was elected Governor, succeeding Clifford Walker. One of his most significant contributions to the state during his tenure was the establishment of a study in governmental efficiency, called the Allen Commission on Simplification and Coordination and the results later paved the way for the sweeping governmental reorganizations of his gubernatorial successor. His second term as governor was plagued by bad health and he was not a candidate for gubernatorial re-nomination, and was succeeded by Richard Russell, Jr. He died of heart failure at the age of 80.

Bio by: William Bjornstad