William H. Hardy
| William Harris Hardy | |
|---|---|
W.H. Hardy (circa 1900)
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| Born |
February 12, 1837 Lowndes County, Alabama |
| Died | February 17, 1917 (aged 80) Gulfport, Mississippi |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Cumberland University |
| Known for | Founder of Hattiesburg , Laurel, Mississippi, and Gulfport, Mississippi |
| Spouse(s) | Sallie Ann Johnson (1860-1872) Hattie Lott (1874-1895) Ida V. May (1895-1917) |
| Children | 12 |
| Parent(s) | Robert W. Hardy Temperance L. (Toney) Hardy |
William H. Hardy (1837−1917) founded the cities of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Laurel, Mississippi, and the city of Gulfport, Mississippi.
Born to Robert W. and Temperance L. (Toney) Hardy in Todds Hill (in Lowndes County, Alabama) on 12 February 1837, William Harris Hardy attended country schools and eventually Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee for three years, withdrawing before graduation due to contraction of pneumonia. Following his convalescence, Hardy agreed to a cousin's proposal to start Sylvarena Academy, a boys' primary school affiliated with the Methodist Church. During his year at Sylvarena in Flowers, Mississippi, Hardy read law, and when he departed the Academy in 1856 for Raleigh, Mississippi, was able to easily pass the Bar. In 1858, he opened his own law practice. In 1859, he met, and in 1860, he married Sallie Ann Johnson, with whom he had six children (Mattie, Willie, Ellen, Elizabeth, Thomas, and Jefferson Davis) before her death in 1872.
In 1861, Hardy raised Company H of the 16th Mississippi Infantry Regiment, of which he was elected Captain. He served with this unit until October 1862, when illness forced his resignation. In April 1864 he was appointed an Aide de Camp by General Argyle Smith, in which capacity he served until the end of the war.
In 1868, Hardy became involved in a plan to build a railroad from Meridian, Mississippi to New Orleans, Louisiana: the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad (NO&NERR). He later became General Counsel for the company, although his legacy with that railroad centers on two things in particular: Hardy's engineering work to construct the bridge spanning Lake Ponchartrain and his efforts to secure funding once the road went into receivership during the economic Panic of 1873.
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