Born in
Frankfort, Kentucky, the son of
Martin D. Hardin, Hardin pursued classical studies and graduated from
Transylvania University,
Lexington, Kentucky, where he studied law. He was
admitted to the bar in Kentucky in 1831 and commenced practice in
Jacksonville, Illinois. He served in the Illinois Militia during the
Black Hawk War of 1832. He was
brigadier general in command during the
Illinois Mormon War in
Hancock County, Illinois, in 1844. He later attained the rank of
major general. He was appointed prosecuting attorney of
Morgan County in 1832. He served as member of the
Illinois House of Representatives 1836–1842. His son
Martin Davis Hardin was born in 1837, and his daughter
Ellen Hardin Walworth was born in 1832. He was co-editor/founder of the Illinoisan newspaper in Jacksonville in 1837. He was credited with helping to avert a duel between
Abraham Lincoln and State Auditor
James Shields. In February 1844, Hardin was present on the when one of its guns
exploded, and he helped manage the aftermath of the disaster, staying on the ship for nearly a week. Hardin was elected as a
Whig to the
Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845). Despite large popularity in his district, he was not a candidate for renomination in 1844. It has been suggested that Hardin's premature death helped Lincoln's rise to prominence in Illinois politics. . Despite being an unabashed Whig, Hardin was a fervent supporter of the
Mexican–American War that was advocated by
James K. Polk and many expansionist
Democrats. During the war, he recruited the
First Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, of which he was commissioned colonel. On February 23, 1847, he was killed at the
Battle of Buena Vista, Mexico, after attempting to lead a charge against a Mexican battery. The outpouring of grief over his death was immense, and Hardin's funeral procession was attended by 15,000 people. He was interred in City Cemetery (East),
Jacksonville, Illinois.
Hardin County, Iowa, was named in honor of the Colonel and his legacy, as was the town of
Hardin, Illinois. ==Notes==