William H. H. Hart

William Henry Harrison Hart (January 25, 1846/1848 – December 24, 1918) was the 16th California Attorney General. Prior to this position, Hart claims to have been a United States Secret Service agent and to have fought in the American Civil War.

Early life There is little actual documentation on Hart's early life except for information he later provided himself, some of which is open to question. William Henry Harrison Hart was born on January 25, 1846 (or 1848 ), in England. He immigrated to the United States with his family at age four. Hart supposedly struggled through a difficult childhood, claiming to have been kidnapped by Blackhawk Indians at the age of eight and then orphaned at age eleven. All of this led to his purported desire for danger and adventure and his supposed recruitment by the United States Secret Service at the age of only 14. Hart is also purported to have fought for the Union during the Civil War.

Career Hart once claimed to have received the highest fee ever paid to a lawyer for a single case in the United States. He also claimed to be owner of the "only mine in the world in which osmium is found in metal form." On November 4, 1890, Hart was elected as California Attorney General, taking office on January 5, 1891; he served a single term.

Hart was a prominent figure in the California phase of the Mystery airship wave of 1896-97, claiming to represent the airship's inventor.

Personal life Hart married Loretta B. They had a son, Lowell J.

A victim of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, Hart died at his home in Palo Alto, California on December 24, 1918, aged 70 or 72. He was buried at Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, California.