Taliaferro Hardtner Gaharan (1908-1969)

Portrait from the 1940 Louisiana State University "Gumbo" yearbook.

  After several days of highlighting oddly named political figures from Louisiana, we conclude our stay in the Bayou State with Taliaferro Hardtner "Bud" Gaharan, a longtime LaSalle Parish physician who also made a name for himself in the field of basketball, coaching the Jena, Louisiana high school basketball team to a state championship. Gaharan earns a spot here on the site due to his serving a term in the Louisiana House of Representatives, as well as for his outstandingly different name! A lifelong Louisianan, "Bud" Gaharan was born in Tullos, LaSalle Parish on December 9, 1908, the son of Phillip Steele (1874-1951) and Lille Mae (Alexander) Gaharan (1878-1962).

  A student in the public schools of his native parish, Gaharan would go on to attend the Urania High School, where he was a standout basketball player. As the son of a doctor, Gaharan decided to follow in his father's profession and in the late 1920s enrolled at the Louisiana State University, where he joined the boxing team. Due to financial hardship, Gaharan would put his studies on hold to earn extra income, first finding work in road construction, and, later, as a teacher at the Jena High School beginning in 1928.

  In the year following his joining the staff of Jena High School, Gaharan succeeded Jay Pipes as coach of the school's basketball team, the Jena Giants. While only 20 years old at the time of his becoming coach, Bud Gaharan's youth proved to be a non-factor when he coached the team to a record 42-0 season in 1929-30, winning the Louisiana State basketball championship in the process. He would further take the team to that year's National Basketball Tournament held in Chicago, where the Giants would place second to Athens, Texas, losing in a close match, 22-16. Despite their loss on the national stage, Gaharan and the Giants were later feted with a banquet by their hometown, and Gaharan himself was later acknowledged by the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate as "Louisiana's finest coach."

  Gaharan continued as coach for six more years retiring in 1936 with a record of 234 wins, and 35 losses. He later returned to the study of medicine at Louisiana State University and graduated in 1940. After interning at a Shreveport hospital, Gaharan returned to his native parish to begin practice, and in addition to having "his own clinic" in Jena, developed a reputation for "exceptional diagnostic skills before diagnostic technology was available".  "Bud" Gaharan married in March 1940 to Avis Lanelle Richardson (1914-2001), to whom he was wed until his death. The couple would have two sons, James Phillip and George Hardtner.

From the 1940 Gumbo yearbook.

  A former member of the LaSalle Parish school board for one term, "Bud" Gaharan set his sights on higher political office in 1955 when he announced his candidacy for the Louisiana House of Representatives. Throughout the latter part of 1955 and into the 1956 campaign notices touting Gaharan's candidacy were featured in the Jena Times, which noted his status as a former teacher, school board member, and his medical practice. Intoning that the office of state representative should never be an office of profit, the Times further profiled Gaharan as knowing:

" The needs and problems of all our people, he has the sympathetic understanding, the intelligence and strength of character to meet and consider all issues that may arise in Legislature on the basis of the best interest of the people of the State of Louisiana as a whole and LaSalle Parish in particular without reward or fear of reprisal."

A Gaharan campaign notice from the Jena Times, December 15, 1955.

 After winning election to the legislature in early 1956 as a Democrat, Gaharan was named to the house committees on Conservation, Enrollment, Public Health, and Welfare and Charitable Institutions. This term (which extended from 1956-60) also saw Gaharan successfully guide a bill through the house that earmarked $500,000 for improvements to Catahoula Lake, including improved conditions for duck hunting, cattle grazing, recreational activities, and "maintaining more than 50 miles of excellent fishing streams."

  In 1959 "Bud" Gaharan launched his reelection bid for the house, announcing that 

"It will be my purpose to run a clean race, based wholely on my accomplishments during the four years that I have served the people of this parish as their representative in the state legislature in Baton Rouge."

  Running for reelection against three opponents, Gaharan would lose out in the vote count on election day, the victor being Democrat Chester Floyd. After leaving the legislature Gaharan continued to operate his clinic in Jena, and in the later period of his life was beset by a lengthy illness, one that would eventually claim his life on February 11, 1969, at age 60. Taliaferro Hardtner Gaharan was survived by his wife and sons and was interred at the Jena Cemetery. 

From the Jena Times, February 13, 1969.

Pross Tid Cross (1876-1969)

Portrait from the Official Manual of the State of Missouri.

    During a long life of ninety-three years, Pross Tid Cross carved out an influential career as a city attorney, telephone company executive, and a three-term Missouri state representative from Clinton County. The above picture of Mr. Cross was located in the 1906 edition of the Missouri State Manual, and the biography of him featured there stands as one of the few mentions of him to be found online.
   Born on July 8, 1876, in Caldwell County, Missouri, Pross T. Cross was one of five children born to John Albert (1842-1926) and Matilda Beckett Cross (1853-1941). He attended public and private schools local to the Caldwell County area and went on to study law under the tutelage of his father. Pross Cross was admitted to the bar in May 1896 and in the following year married Nina Clemons Peel (1879-1947) with whom he had the following children: Gerald (1898-1987), Laura (1901-1992), and Mary (birth-date unknown). 
   Soon after passing the bar in 1896, Cross established a law practice and within a few years had built up a reputation as one of the premier attorneys in the state, making a name for himself in the "handling of personal injury and damage cases."  He is also recorded by the History of Northwest Missouri as having had a "very extensive and remunerative" law practice headquartered in the city of Lathrop.
    While Cross's skill as an attorney won him repute, he also began to branch out into the field of politics during the early 1900s. Following service as city attorney for Lathrop, he launched his candidacy for the Missouri State House of Representatives in 1904. In that year's election Cross was opposed by Republican nominee G.L. Long, and when the votes were tallied that November, Cross emerged the victor by a vote of 1,876 to 1,762. 

From the 1906 Missouri State Manual.

   After taking his seat in January 1905, it didn't take long for Cross to make an impact in the legislature. During his three terms in house Cross became an avowed leader in passing legislation directed at the bloated railway industry and its various abuses of power. Described as a "strong speaker and fluid talker" by his fellow legislators, Cross drew the ire of railroad companies and corporations by introducing numerous bills that curtailed their power and held them accountable for their wrongdoing. Among the more important pieces of legislation Cross introduced was a bill that increased the number of monetary damages in case of death caused by railroads from five thousand dollars to ten thousand; a bill that reduced passenger fair on Missouri railroads to two cents; and a bill that prevented railroad companies from moving cases from state to federal courts of law. The History of Northwest Missouri makes special note of his ability to pass legislation, stating that "the bills which Mr. Cross introduced and secured passage of in the Legislature of Missouri, had cost the railroads in the state millions of dollars annually." Even more remarkable was that Pross Cross was barely in his thirties at this stage in his public career.

                      Pross T. Cross as he appeared in the 1909 edition of the Missouri State Manual.

    Acknowledged as the Democratic Party's leader on the floor of the House of Representatives, Cross is recorded as being the "sponsor of and introducing more bills than any other member of the house" during his three terms of service. Cross left the legislature in January 1911 and returned to his earlier career as an attorney. In 1947 Nina Peel Cross died of an undisclosed illness after fifty-one years of marriage. Cross would later remarry to Alma V. Hubbard (1896-1955) after his first wife's death but no exact date could be found for their marriage. 

   In 1957 Cross was feted by the Missouri State Bar Association at a dinner in Kansas City, and also is noted as the owner of the Northern Missouri Telephone Company. The article shown below (published in the Montana Standard) notes that Cross, even at 86 years of age, was a conservative force in the town of Lathrop, refusing to allow new telephone designs and dial phones to be placed in town. Cross himself is quoted in the article as saying that the "system he is being urged to install is on the verge of becoming obsolete, to be replaced by a push-button system." The Standard also makes light of his age and unusual name, saying that "the manager is 86 years of age and his name is Pross T. Cross, two things which would entitle him to more than casual attention if no other things should." 

   After many decades of service at the local and state level, Pross Tid Cross died at a Kansas City hospital on October 1, 1969, aged 93. He was survived by his children and was subsequently interred alongside his wives Nina and Alma at the Lathrop Cemetery.

Mamre Hurlburt Ward (1899-1969)

    A Wisconsin civic leader and businessman, the oddly named Mamre Hurlburt Ward was also a four-term representative in the Wisconsin State Assembly during the 1950s. His unusual first name "Mamre" has its origins in the Bible, where it has two different connotations. The first is listed as being an ancient Semitic chieftain who was one of the allies of the patriarch Abraham, while the second is a location, or, to be more precise, an ancient shrine located near modern-day Israel where the chieftain Mamre settled and "established the first Hebrew army." 
   Born on January 16, 1899, in Bear Creek Valley, Wisconsin, Mamre H. Ward was the son of John Plumer (1866-1934) and Lora Lorena (Hurlburt) Ward (1869-1958). Mamre attended schools local to his native town and graduated from the Durand High School in the class of 1916. In August 1923 he married in Durand to Esther Nicklas (1899-1990), with whom he had three children, Robert Ward (birthdate unknown), John Plumer Ward III (1925-1988), and Esther Ann (born 1933). 
   Most of the sources mentioning Mamre Ward record him as having engaged in farming for the majority of his life, first in Bear Creek Valley and later in the village of Mondovi. While farming may have been a central part of his life, Ward was also acknowledged as a prominent civic and business leader in the counties of Buffalo and Pepin. He served as President of the Bank of Durand for twelve years and later became the director of the Security National Bank of Durand after it was consolidated. Ward experienced continued success in local business in addition to his banking endeavors, becoming the vice president of the Durand Canning Company in 1933 and later managed a local cooperative creamery. The Wisconsin Blue Book (where the above picture of Ward was located) also denotes that he was a "member of several cooperative organizations" in addition to those already mentioned.
   While continuing to be active in the realms of local business and civic affairs, Ward was also recognized as a prominent local political figure. In 1935 and 1936 he served as president of the Canton, Wisconsin town board and was a member (and later chairman) of the Wisconsin State Soil Conservation Committee. He also held a seat on the Pepin County Republican committee for several years. 

Mamre H. Ward as he appeared in the 1956 edition of the Wisconsin State Blue Book.

   In 1950 Mamre Ward won election as a Republican to the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the counties of Buffalo, Pepin, and Pierce. Ward was continually reelected to the Assembly until 1958 and during his four terms held a seat on the legislative committees on Highways, Municipalities, and Agriculture. During the 1955 legislative term, he served as the chairman of the Commerce and Manufactures Committee and in 1957 chaired the Committee on Public Welfare.

   After leaving the legislature in January 1958, Ward returned to his earlier business activities. In his later years, he was a member and moderator of the Durand Pilgrim Congregational Church and also maintained a membership in the Durand Masonic Lodge and the Eastern Star Chapter. Mamre H. Ward died at the St. Benedict's Community Hospital in Durand on October 13, 1969, at age 70. His wife Esther survived him, dying in 1990 at age 91, and both are buried at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Durand.

Mamre H. Ward's obituary as it appeared in the Oct. 15, 1969 edition of the Eau Claire Leader.

Servetus Love Crockett (1886-1969)

   Today's profile takes us to Tate County, Mississippi, and obscure state representative Servetus Love Crockett, who served one four-year term in that body. Crockett was born near Tyro, Mississippi on September 2, 1886, the son of Powhatan Perkins Crockett and his wife Annie Louise Babb. Servetus is listed as a direct descendant of famed Texan and Congressman Davy Crockett (1786-1836) and as a youth attended schools local to the Tate County area.
  In December 1914 Crockett married Ms. Floy Emma Liles and in the following year graduated from Millsaps College with a Bachelor of Laws degree. During his tenure at Millsaps College, Crockett is listed as winning four medals in oratory and after graduating engaged in farming pursuits instead of pursuing a career in law. Crockett was also a published author, authoring a Eulogy On Davy Crockett and a genealogical work relating to the Crockett family
   In November 1915, the citizens of Tate County elected the 29-year-old Crockett to a seat in the Mississippi State House of Representatives. He would serve from 1916-20 and during his service held a seat on the following committees: Judiciary, Mississippi Levees, Penitentiary, Public Buildings and Grounds, Banks and Banking, and Drainage. Mississippi's Official and Statistical Register notes that despite his youth, Crockett "evinced statesmanlike abilities" during his four-year tenure in the House.
   Little could be found on Crockett after the conclusion of his legislative service. A newspaper report from 1970 (published a year following his death) denotes him as "a colorful personality who ran a quaint country store in the Barr community 10 miles east of  Senatobia, Miss." Widowed in 1942, Servetus remained connected to his store until his death on November 30, 1969, at age 83, and was survived by a son, Servetus P. Both Crockett and his wife were interred in the Mount Vernon Cemetery in Tate County.

From the Memphis Press Scimitar, April 25, 1958.