Denver D. Hargis | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromKansas's3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1961 | |
| Preceded by | Myron V. George |
| Succeeded by | Walter L. McVey Jr. |
| Mayor ofCoffeyville, Kansas | |
| In office 1953–1958 | |
| Preceded by | Gus A. Erickson |
| Succeeded by | Norton Walters[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1921-07-22)July 22, 1921 Key West, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | March 16, 1989(1989-03-16) (aged 67) Sarasota, Florida, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | [2] [3][4] [5] |
Denver David Hargis (July 22, 1921 – March 16, 1989) was aU.S. representative fromKansas from 1959 to 1961.
Born inKey West,Florida, his maternal grandfather and grandmother were each fromSpain andEngland.[6] In 1922, when Hargis was one year old, his parents moved toCoffeyville, Kansas. He attended Coffeyville schools. He enlisted in theUnited States Navy in January 1941 and served until October 1943.He graduated fromWashburn University,Topeka, Kansas, with a B.A. in 1946, and from its law school, with a LL.B. in 1948. He wasadmitted to the bar in 1948 and commenced his practice of law inCoffeyville, Kansas.[7]
In February 1949, he was appointed district supervisor of the Census Bureau for the Third District of Kansas. He was promoted to administrative officer forKansas,Missouri, andNebraska, and was later promoted to regional assistant and served until December 1950. He served as mayor ofCoffeyville, Kansas from 1953 to 1958. He was appointed by GovernorDocking as a member of the Arkansas River Basin Committee 1957–59. He served as delegate at large to Democratic National Convention in 1960. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1956 to theEighty-fifth Congress.[7]
Hargis was elected as aDemocrat to theEighty-sixth Congress (January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1961). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1960 to theEighty-seventh Congress. He served as a consultant for theDepartment of Defense from 1961 to 1962, and the Department of Commerce from 1962 to 1966. He was the manager and later owner of several title insurance companies in Florida until his retirement in 1985.[7]
On October 17, 1965, Hargis's estranged wife, Charlene June Hargis, shot and killed the couple's four children, three daughters and one son, at theirLaurel, Maryland apartment. The former congressman was living with another woman inVienna, Virginia at the time. Charlene Hargis was charged with four counts of murder and pleadedinsanity. While atSpring Grove Hospital, she attempted suicide by slashing her wrists and had to be sedated. She was found guilty of lesser charges of manslaughter and was sentenced to four concurrent terms of ten years in prison.[8][9][10]
He was a resident ofSarasota, Florida until his death there in 1989. Hargis was buried atArlington National Cemetery, Section 37, Grave 921.[11]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromKansas's 3rd congressional district January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1961 | Succeeded by |
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