Ben Hardin was born on February 29, 1784, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. He was a conspicuous member of a well-known family of Virginia origin, transplanted into Kentucky. His father, Benjamin, married his cousin, Sarah Hardin, a sister of John Hardin, before they left Virginia. In 1787 the family moved to Nelson, later Washington County, Kentucky, settling near Springfield in March 1788.
Ben's schooling began early, being conducted first by members of his family, then by Ichabod Radley, and lastly by Daniel Barry, an Irish linguist of some note, at Bardstown and at Hartford in Ohio County. He began the study of law at Richmond, Kentucky, in 1804, under the direction of his cousin, Martin D. Hardin, and the next year he continued his work under Felix Grundy at Bardstown.
In 1805, Ben Hardin was given license to practise law and immediately set himself up as a lawyer at Elizabethtown, in Hardin County. Here he remained for two years, conducting his business for a year in partnership with Joseph Holt, judge advocate- general of the army under President Lincoln. In 1808 Hardin moved to Bardstown, where he maintained his residence until his death.
As a lawyer Hardin developed a widespread prestige and a competent fortune. He practised in all the courts of his own county and the surrounding region, going at times even into Indiana. He also appeared frequently before the Kentucky court of appeals and occasionally before the United States Supreme Court, taking part in most of the prominent lawsuits of his day and state.
Hardin first entered politics in 1810, when he became a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives. He was returned the next year and also in 1824 and 1825, and served four years in the Kentucky Senate, 1828-1832. He then was elected as a Republican to the Fourteenth Congress (1815-1817) and reelected as a Republican to the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Congresses (1819-1823). He was elected as an Anti-Jacksonian to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses (1833-1837).
Directly after the end of the War of 1812 Hardin opposed what he called the “national glory” policy, urging the reduction of the army and navy and of taxes wherever possible. He opposed the recharter of the second United States Bank and spoke for the admission of Missouri as a slave state. From 1844 to 1847 he was secretary of state under Governor Owsley, but in the latter year he resigned after a heated dispute with the governor. His last public service was in the state constitutional convention in 1849-1850. In the summer 1852 Hardin fell from his horse and received an injury which brought about his death in the early fall.
Ben Hardin was famous due to his service in the United States House of Representatives, where he represented Kentucky for five terms. Here he became a positive figure, well- known and respected by his colleagues. He took an active part in the debates, and by a direct and trenchant style of speaking attracted much attention.
During his last illness in 1852 Hardin joined the Methodist Church.
Hardin was a Republican until 1833 when he was elected as an Anti-Jacksonian to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses.
Hardin was a very effective speaker before a jury, never engaging in ornate and florid language but driving his argument home with an abundance of solid facts. His memory was remarkable; he never kept a note, yet he could with great accuracy marshal the testimony brought out in the court proceedings.
Quotes from others about the person
“Hardin is like a kitchen knife whetted on a brick, he cuts roughly but cuts deep. ’’ - John Randolph
Hardin married, on March 31, 1807, Elizabeth Pendleton Barbour, a daughter of Ambrose Barbour of Washington County, Kentucky. She died in August 1852.
