Records of the Kansas Governor's Office
Frank Hagaman Administration
November 28, 1950 - January 8, 1951
The records of Kansas Governor Frank Hagaman consist of correspondence,
appointments, state agency and subject files during his term as governor
from 1950 to 1951.
Scope and Content Note
The arrangement and description of the correspondence of the Governor's
office is structured according to the arrangement, duties, functions
and responsibilities of the Governor and the Executive branch of the
Kansas state government.
The Correspondence Series is subdivided into an Alphabetical File;
an Appointments File (because the Governor spent a great deal of time
appointing people to official government boards, departments and other
government offices); a State Agencies File; and a Subject File.
The Alphabetical File contains routine correspondence from either the
common, concerned citizen about unimportant subject matter; or from
important correspondents, arranged by name.
The State Agencies File contains routine correspondence to and from
nearly all of the bureaus of the state government. This is the appropriate
subseries for research of state agency activities and history.
The Subject File contains a wide array of files on any and every important
subject matter at the time. Researchers investigating important issues
of any given era in Kansas' history (or national history) should examine
the Subject Files of the Governors' Correspondence.
Agency Sketch
The office of the Governor of the State of Kansas was established by
the State Constitution of 1859 (the Wyandotte Constitution).
According to constitutional mandate, some of the more important duties,
functions, responsibilities and bailiwicks of the Kansas Governor are
as follows:
The supreme executive power of the State shall be vested
in a Governor, who shall see that the laws are faithfully executed.
The Executive Department shall consist of a Governor,
Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, Attorney
General, and Superintendent of Public Instruction, who shall be chosen
by the electors of the State at the time and place of voting for members
of the Legislature, and shall hold their offices for the term of two
years from the second Monday in January, next after their election,
and until their successors are elected and qualified.
He may require information in writing from the officers
of the Executive Department upon any subject relating to their respective
duties.
He may, on extraordinary occasions, convene the Legislature
by proclamation, and shall, at the commencement of every session, communicate
in writing such information as he may possess in reference to the condition
of the State, and recommend such measures as he may deem expedient.
All commissions shall be issued in the name of the State of Kansas;
signed by the Governor, counter-signed by the Secretary of State, and
sealed with the great seal.
For a complete list of gubernatorial duties, see the Kansas State Constitution
(1859), Article I -- Executive.
Biographical Sketch
Frank Leslie Hagaman was born in Bushnell, Illinois on June 1, 1894
to Frank and Hattie Hagaman. The family moved first to Kansas City,
Missouri, and later to Rosedale near Kansas City, Kansas. After graduating
from Rosedale High School, Hagaman worked as a shipping clerk, later
matriculating at the University of Kansas. During World War I, Hagaman
served in the 117th Kansas Ammunition Train. While on duty, he was severely
wounded, for which he later received a Purple Heart and a special citation
during an awards ceremony at Fort Riley, Kansas. Afterwards, he received
an education in law at the George Washington University Law School,
in Washington, D. C. in 1921.
Through his marriage to Elizabeth Sutton in 1920, Hagaman acquired
a 620 acre ranch near Russell, Kansas.
Hagaman returned to Kansas to establish his law practice in Wyandotte
County, where he worked as the Assistant County Assessor.
In politics, Hagaman campaigned as a Republican. He was elected to
be the Johnson County representative to the State Legislature, first
in 1939, and was re-elected two more times. He strongly and consistantly
supported rural zoning legislation to improve rural living conditions,
and for restoration of the old Shawnee Mission.
In 1948, Hagaman was elected Lieutenant Governor and as such, was the
leading statesman in the Senate as well as the chairman of the Legislative
Council.
Hagaman came to the Governor's Office when Governor Frank Carlson replaced
Senator Harry Darby in the U.S. Senate. Hagaman's swearing in ceremony
lasted only fourteen minutes, and in fact, his term in office lasted
only forty-one days.
Hagaman's tenure as governor of Kansas was what one might call a caretaker
administration. During his time in office, a time when the legislature
was not in session, Hagaman concentrated almost exclusively on the budget.
In an unprecidented move, Governor Hagaman invited Governor-elect Edward
Arn to budget hearings. Arn was the man to whom Hagaman lost the party
nomination, during the primary election.
After losing a bid for Republican Party nomination, Hagaman returned
to his law practice in Fairway. His subsequent legal career took him
to courts in Kansas, Missouri and the U. S. Supreme Court.
Having a personal interest in ornithology, Hagaman served as president
of the Missouri Audobon Society. The M.A.S., which has members in both
Kansas as well as Missouri, was headquartered just a few miles from
his home.
Hagaman died in a hospital in Kansas City, on June 23, 1966 and is
buried in Denver, Colorado.
Series Outline
Series A: Appointments File
Box 27-14-02-02
Folder
1: County Sheriffs, 1950 December 5-15
2: District Court Judge, Division No. 1
3: Forestry, Fish and Game Commission, 1950 December 12
4: Justices of the Peace, 1950 December 26
5: Notories Public, 1950 November 27-1951 January 8
Series B: State Agencies File
6: Adjutant General's Office, 1950 November 30-December 22
7: Education, State Board of, 1950 December 7
8: Governor's Office -- Honorary Memberships, Complimentary Passes,
etc., 1950 December 23
9: Little Hoover Commission, 1950 December 5
Series C: Subject File
10: Oil & Gas Industry, 1950 December
11: United States. State, Dept. of. Fulbright Scholarship Committee,
1950 December 27
|
