Summers T. Hardy

Summers T. Hardy (May 23, 1875 – October 18, 1950) was a native of Arkansas who came to Indian Territory in with his family in 1892, settling in what would become Ardmore, Oklahoma. He read law and passed the bar exam in 1897, then entered private law practice in Ardmore and Madill, Oklahoma. Hardy met a young woman from Texas in Ardmore named Laura Scribner, whom he married in 1900. He got into local politics and was elected as a delegate to the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention in 1906. He was named President of the Madill City School board in 1907–1908. He ran for a District 16 judgeship in Marshall County and won, serving 1911–1913, then served briefly in District 29 in 1914.

Early life Summers T. Hardy was born in Van Buren County, Arkansas on May 23, 1875, to Henry and Martha (Underwood) Hardy. As a young man, Henry was a farmer and blacksmith, and became a local Methodist preacher as he grew older. He was also elected to the state legislature as a Democratic representative until 1885. Then, Henry moved his family to Montague County, Texas, where he was elected twice as county judge, for a total of four years. After his term ended, he moved to Ardmore (then in Oklahoma Territory, where Henry died in 1895 at age 43.

Young Hardy grew up on farms, was educated in public schools and had some commercial training. He was then hired as a clerk in the local post office, while completing a course in stenography. He used this training to get hired by the local Garrett and Hardy law firm, while he also read the law and passed the bar exam in 1897. The house still stands today, serving as an elegant private residence. (At the time of its construction in 1918, the house and lot reportedly cost $2,300.)

Death Hardy died at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma after suffering a stroke.