In 1932, Hardeman came to
West Texas to practice law in San Angelo, the seat of
Tom Green County. In 1936, he was elected mayor of San Angelo, a position that he held until 1938, when he was elected to the
Texas House of Representatives from District 91 and served two two-year terms before he enlisted in the
United States Army Air Corps, the forerunner of the
Air Force. Sent to officers training school, he became a
judge advocate general. on the Upper
Colorado River of Texas. == Private and business life ==