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Governor Records - Hagaman, 1950 -1951

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 Audubon 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