Parker Watkins Hardin

Parker Watkins ("Wat") 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.

Early life Parker Watkins Hardin was born in Adair County, Kentucky. He was the second child of Parker C. and Carolina (Watkins) Hardin. 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.

Political career Hardin's political career began in 1865 when he was elected city attorney for the city of Danville, Kentucky. 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. Once again, the entire Democratic slate was elected by a large majority. The others were ex-Confederate John Y. Brown, Cassius Clay Jr. (nephew of the noted abolitionist), and Dr. John Daniel Clardy, a member of Kentucky's Farmers' Alliance. Clay and Clardy split the votes of the state's agricultural interests, while Hardin and Clardy divided the free silver votes.

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. The Populist Party also put forth a strong candidate, Thomas Pettit of Owensboro. The first debate was held in Louisville on August 19, 1895. Even sympathetic newspapers admitted that his usual glowing oratory had failed him. In the general election, Hardin lost to Bradley 172,436 to 163,524. The others were former congressman William Johnson Stone and state senator William Goebel. His free silver views helped him with the state's populist voters, but Stone, from rural western Kentucky, was also courting those voters.

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. Hardin incurred a further disadvantage when only four of his supporters were named to the thirteen-member committee on credentials. Chairman Redwine only allowed uncontested delegations to vote on the committee's report, which was approved 441 to 328.

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. Many delegations refused to vote under such conditions. Finally, the delegates adopted a resolution to drop the candidate with the fewest votes after the twenty-fifth ballot. 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.

Later life Hardin died of pneumonia in Richmond, Virginia at the age of 79. He was buried in Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky.