Silas Hare
Encyclopedia
Silas Hare was a U.S. Representative
from Texas
.
, to Jacob and Elizabeth Freshour Hare on November 13, 1827, and lived the first fourteen years of his life with his grandfather Daniel Hare. His father died in 1835, and in 1841, Hare rejoined his mother and other family members in Hamilton County, Indiana
, near Noblesville, where he attended common and private schools. He studied law in Noblesville, and was admitted to the Indiana Bar Association in 1850 and commenced practice in Noblesville, Indiana
.
Hare moved to Belton, Texas
, in 1853 where he continued the practice of law. In 1852, Hare began traveling to improve his health. He visited Mexico, Central America, Hawaii (at that time, the Sandwich Islands), Oregon.
1846 and 1847. At the Battle of Buena Vista
, Hare was wounded by a lance.
During the Civil War
Hare served as a captain in the Confederate States Army
. He was appointed Captain and Quartermaster, later to attain the rank of Major in 1863, with the First Regiment of the Arizona Brigade stationed in Texas.
, in 1865 and resumed the practice of law. He served as district judge of the criminal court 1873-1876. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1884.
Hare was elected as a Democrat
to the Fiftieth
and Fifty-first
Congresses (March 4, 1887-March 3, 1891). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1890.
In 1890, Hare resumed the practice of law in Washington, D.C.
. The couple had seven children: West Point cadet Luther Rector; Silas Jr who followed his father in public service; in addition to Winnie, Henry, George, Eula, and one child who died in infancy. Octavia died June 5, 1890 and is interred at West Hill Cemetery in Sherman, Texas
.
In 1903, the 76-year-old Hare married for a second time to 66-year-old Mary Louise Kennedy in a secret ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland taking his friends by surprise. The elopement left the New York Times speculating about the honeymoon, “They have not returned, and the ex-Congressman’s friends have no idea where they are.”
Silas Hare died in Washington, D.C. on November 26, 1908 and is interred with his first wife in Sherman, Texas.
Mary Louise Kennedy Hare died November 3, 1912.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Early years
Silas Hare Sr. was born in Ross County, OhioRoss County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 73,345 people, 27,136 households, and 19,185 families residing in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile . There were 29,461 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile...
, to Jacob and Elizabeth Freshour Hare on November 13, 1827, and lived the first fourteen years of his life with his grandfather Daniel Hare. His father died in 1835, and in 1841, Hare rejoined his mother and other family members in Hamilton County, Indiana
Hamilton County, Indiana
Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. Census 2010 recorded a population of 274,569. The county seat is Noblesville....
, near Noblesville, where he attended common and private schools. He studied law in Noblesville, and was admitted to the Indiana Bar Association in 1850 and commenced practice in Noblesville, Indiana
Noblesville, Indiana
Noblesville is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Indiana, United States, located just north of Indianapolis. The population was 51,969 at the 2010 census making it the 14th largest city/town in the state, up from 19th in 2007...
.
Hare moved to Belton, Texas
Belton, Texas
Belton is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bell County.Belton is part of the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood metropolitan area.-Geography:...
, in 1853 where he continued the practice of law. In 1852, Hare began traveling to improve his health. He visited Mexico, Central America, Hawaii (at that time, the Sandwich Islands), Oregon.
Military service
Hare served during the Mexican-American War in the 1st Indiana Volunteers1st Indiana Volunteers
The 1st Indiana Volunteers, or the 1st Infantry Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, was a regiment of soldiers primarily from southern Indiana commanded by lieutenant colonel and future Governor of Indiana and United States Senator Henry S. Lane, during the Mexican-American War. It was the first...
1846 and 1847. At the Battle of Buena Vista
Battle of Buena Vista
The Battle of Buena Vista , also known as the Battle of Angostura, saw the United States Army use artillery to repulse the much larger Mexican army in the Mexican-American War...
, Hare was wounded by a lance.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Hare served as a captain in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
. He was appointed Captain and Quartermaster, later to attain the rank of Major in 1863, with the First Regiment of the Arizona Brigade stationed in Texas.
Public service
He served as Chief justice of New Mexico in 1862 under the Confederate Government. Hare settled in Sherman, TexasSherman, Texas
Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2009 was 38,407. It is also one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, in 1865 and resumed the practice of law. He served as district judge of the criminal court 1873-1876. He served as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1884.
Hare was elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Fiftieth
50th United States Congress
The Fiftieth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1887 to March 4, 1889, during the third and fourth...
and Fifty-first
51st United States Congress
The Fifty-first United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar Congress, was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C...
Congresses (March 4, 1887-March 3, 1891). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1890.
In 1890, Hare resumed the practice of law in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Personal life and death
In 1849, he married Octavia Elizabeth Rector of Circleville, OhioCircleville, Ohio
Circleville is a city in and the county seat of Pickaway County, Ohio, United States, along the Scioto River. The population was 13,485 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. The couple had seven children: West Point cadet Luther Rector; Silas Jr who followed his father in public service; in addition to Winnie, Henry, George, Eula, and one child who died in infancy. Octavia died June 5, 1890 and is interred at West Hill Cemetery in Sherman, Texas
Sherman, Texas
Sherman is a city in and the county seat of Grayson County, Texas, United States. The city's estimated population as of 2009 was 38,407. It is also one of two principal cities in the Sherman-Denison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
.
In 1903, the 76-year-old Hare married for a second time to 66-year-old Mary Louise Kennedy in a secret ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland taking his friends by surprise. The elopement left the New York Times speculating about the honeymoon, “They have not returned, and the ex-Congressman’s friends have no idea where they are.”
Silas Hare died in Washington, D.C. on November 26, 1908 and is interred with his first wife in Sherman, Texas.
Mary Louise Kennedy Hare died November 3, 1912.