The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1908-06-18

Herbert S. Hadley, the Attorney
General of Missouri, was born on Feb.
| 20, 1872, at Olathe, Kan, small
town near Kansas City, Mo. He comes
of a missionary ancestry. His pater-
nal grandfather, jeremiah Hadley, was
North Carolina Quaker, who moved
! to Indiana about 1880, and in the early
| sos went to Kansas Territory to take
charge of an Indian Mission. His ma
ternal grandfather, Isaac Beach, ma
| tive of Connecticut, was Presbyte-
rian minister, who also came to KAN
sas on a mission of peace and goodwill
| in the stormy period of its Territorial
history. The peace-lovins principles of
the Quaker faith did not, however, pre-
vent John Milton Hadley, the oldest son
| of jeremiah. from enlisting at the be-
| ginning of the civil war in the Federal
army. Starting as a private, he rose to
the rank of Major at the close of his
! four years of service. after the close
of the war he was married 10 Harriet
Beach, the daughter of the Presbyte-
rian preacher, and of their union four
children were born, of whom Mr.. Had
| ley was the third, and with the excep-
ton OF. one sister, the only survivor
His mother died when hewas three
years of age, and his training and edu-
cation was the work of his father. After
graduating from the public schools of
7
course in the University of Kansas, and
then attended the Northwestern Uni
versity Law School, in. Chicago, grad
uating with the first honors of his
class in 1894. With 500 prize money
that he had won in a competitive ex-
animation he started for Kansas City,
which had always been to him the big
city of his boyhood days, and there
began the practice of law. After less
than four years of general practice he
was appointed to the position of First
Assistant City Counselor and his con-
duct of the trial of the civil litigation of
that municipality for the next three
years won him a standing in his pro-
fession and in politics. He was nomi-
mated for the office of Prosecuting At
torney by the Republicans of Jackson
County in 1900, and was elected. Dur
ing his two years in this office he had
the distinction of having had more
convictions and fewer acquittals than
any of his predecessors, but six men
going free in something over 225 felony
prosecutions. In addition TO the ordi
nary run of criminal cases he success
fully conducted an investigation of jury
bribing in the civil courts, convicted
number of agents of large corporate
interests and caused some public Off
Gals to find it necessary to jump their
bonds and permanently leave the State.
He also conducted vigorous prosecu-
tons against public gambling, with
the result that that occupation was at
a low ebb of popularity during his
term of office. He reluctantly con-
scented to denomination and shared
defeat with the rest of his ticket, altho
he led his associates by over $500
votes. He then resumed the practice
of law, and in order to render himself
immune from office holding became the
4
MES of Kansas City and a number of
other large corporate interests. But
even with this handicap he was nomi-
mated, by reclamation, against his Wig
orous protest, for Acknowledgement by
the Republicans at the State convention
in 1904. Assuming that there was no
chance of election, he was finally in
duced to accept the nomination, and to
his surprise was elected by 1900 ma
jority. He took hold of the office as If
he had wanted 1t, and during his three
years as AttorneyGeneral has managed
to keep something going on. His fight
with the Standard Oil Company, the
railroads over freight and passenger
laws, the Harvester Trust, the Insur
ance and Lumber Trust are but few
of the more important matters that his
office has handled. His participation
in the fight on the race track gamblers
of st. Louis, which resulted in the sup
preston of that form of amusement,
secured a decision from the Supreme
Court of the State FORGETTING the exist
ence of the corporation that had been
responsible for the violation of the
State laws.
While prosecuting Attorney of jack
son County Mr.. Hadley was married.
on Oct. s, 1901, to Miss Agnes Lee, of
Kansas City. OF their marriage have
been born three children, John, Hen
rietta and Herbert.
Mr.. Hadley's chief weakness is hunt
ing, tho he is an enthusiastic horseman
and actively interested in all outdoor
sports. In addition to his professional
and political activities, he has also dis
tinguished himself as an organizer. The
famous Knife and Fork Club, of KAN
sas City, the Young Republican Asso-
citation of Missouri, and the National
Association of Attorneys-General are
some of the more important organiza-
tions he has suggested and, initiated.