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LAMARTINE GRIFFIN HARDMAN, Georgia's 53rd governor, was born in Commerce, Georgia, on April 14, 1856. In 1877 he graduated from the University of Georgia Medical School. He continued his studies, taking postgraduate classes at the New York Polyclinic, the University of Pennsylvania and at London's Guy Hospital. He established a successful medical practice in Commerce, and cofounded the Hardman Sanatorium in 1899. Hardman also was dedicated to the development of rural north Georgia. He was successful in establishing two manufacturing enterprises - the Harmony Grove Cotton Mills and the Hardman Roller Mills - which brought jobs and revenue to area. Hardman entered politics in 1902 as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, a position he held until 1907. He also served in the Georgia Senate from 1908 to 1910, and was a member of the state fuel administration during World War I. On November 2, 1926, he won election as governor, and on June 25, 1927, he was sworn into office. He was reelected to a second term in 1928. During his tenure, a license tag factory was founded, the state capitol was modernized, the state archives were transferred to the Rhodes home in Atlanta, and the Allen Commission on Simplification and Coordination was established. After leaving office on June 27, 1931, Hardman retired from politics, but continued to stay active and he served on several boards. Governor Lamartine G. Hardman died on February 18, 1937, and he is buried at the Gray Hill Cemetery in Commerce.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 1, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

The Georgia Historical Society

Governors' Portraits