Louis F. Hart
Encyclopedia
Louis Folwell Hart was the ninth Governor of Washington State from 14 June 1919 to 12 January 1925. He is most remembered for reorganizing the state's administrative structure by reducing the number of agencies and the consequent financial economies.
, Missouri
, studied law in Missouri. Lured by the frontier, he and his wife moved to Snohomish, Washington
in the late-1880s, where he practiced law. In 1899 they moved to Tacoma where he continued to practice law and was an insurance agent.
retired in 1919 due to failing health. Hart was elected governor in his own right in 1920. Hart was instrumental in getting new road projects through the state legislature and strongly supported the creation of a state highway patrol. He oversaw the construction of a new State Capitol complex. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment reorganizing the state's administrative structure, reducing the number of administrative agencies from 75 to 10.
, Washington.
Early life
Hart was born in High PointHigh Point, Missouri
High Point is an unincorporated community in southern Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. It is located ten miles south of California about one mile west of Route 87. High Point is mainly a rurul area.Although it is mainly rural there is a school and church...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, studied law in Missouri. Lured by the frontier, he and his wife moved to Snohomish, Washington
Snohomish, Washington
Snohomish is a city in Snohomish County founded by the british, Washington, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2010 census. The mayor of Snohomish is Karen Guzak, and the City Manager is Larry Bauman...
in the late-1880s, where he practiced law. In 1899 they moved to Tacoma where he continued to practice law and was an insurance agent.
Political career
In 1912, he was elected as Washington’s Lieutenant Governor and he was reelected in 1916. During World War I he served chairman of the Selective Service Appeals Board for Southwest Washington. Hart became governor when the then governor Ernest ListerErnest Lister
Ernest Lister was the eighth Governor of the state of Washington. He was sworn into the office in 1913 and remained in it until his death six years later.-Further reading:...
retired in 1919 due to failing health. Hart was elected governor in his own right in 1920. Hart was instrumental in getting new road projects through the state legislature and strongly supported the creation of a state highway patrol. He oversaw the construction of a new State Capitol complex. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment reorganizing the state's administrative structure, reducing the number of administrative agencies from 75 to 10.
Personal life
Hart did not run for reelection in 1924, but instead retired to Tacoma where he practiced a little law, and served as the president of the State Good Roads Association. He married Ella James on 9 February 1881 in Missouri and over the course of years they had five children, three sons and two daughters. He died in TacomaTacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, Washington.