Background
Hart was born in High Point, Missouri and studied law in Missouri.
politician governor of Washington
Hart was born in High Point, Missouri and studied law in Missouri.
He is most remembered for reorganizing the state"s administrative structure by reducing the number of agencies and the consequent financial economies. In 1899 they moved to Tacoma where he continued to practice law and was an insurance agent. Winning the Republican nomination in 1912, Hart was elected as Washington’s seventh Lieutenant Governor and he was reelected in 1916.
During World War I Hart served chairman of the Selective Service Appeals Board for Southwest Washington.
Hart became governor when the then governor Ernest Lister retired in 1919 due to failing health. Hart was elected governor in his own right in 1920.
Hart was instrumental in getting new road projects through the state legislature and strongly supported the creation of a state highway patrol. He oversaw the construction of a new State Capitol complex.
Hart did not run for reelection in 1924, but instead retired to Tacoma where he practiced law, and served as the president of the State Good Roads Association.
Hart died on December 4, 1929, in Tacoma, Washington. He is interred at Masonic Memorial Park, Tumwater, Washington.
