Suwannee-Madison County FlArchives Biographies.....Hardee, Cary Augustus November 13, 1876 - 
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Nancy Rayburn http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00025.html#0006128 January 24, 2014, 1:27 pm

Source: The Lewis Publishing Co., Vol. II, page 3, 1923
Author: History of Florida, Past and Present

        HARDEE, Hon. CARY AUGUSTUS, who was inaugurated Governor in Florida in 
1922, has proved in his career as a lawyer, business man and citizen a 
possessor of all the substantial qualities and abilities needed by the chief 
executive of a great commonwealth.
	Governor HARDEE has come up from the ranks.  A native of Florida, he 
was born on a farm in Taylor County near Perry, November 13, 1876, son of JAMES 
B. and AMANDA KATHERINE (JOHNSON) HARDEE.  His father is still living a retired 
resident of Madison.  Both parents were born in Quitman, Georgia, where the 
grandfather THOMAS E. HARDEE was a planter and slave owner.  JAMES B. HARDEE 
spent his boyhood in Georgia and as a young man moved to Taylor County, 
Florida.  In 1863 he enlisted in Company B of the First Special Brigade, a 
Florida regiment of Infantry and served two years.  After the war he located on 
his farm in Taylor County and was active in its management until he retired 
several years ago.  For many years he was tax collector, and has been a leader 
in the Missionary Baptist Church.  His wife died at Madison in 1912.
	Governor HARDEE, fourth in a large family of ten children, spent his 
boyhood on the farm, and had only a public school education.  His early 
ambition was for the law, and in conjunction with his early successes in that 
profession he set for himself the high ideals of public service, all of which 
have been splendidly realized.  He began making his own way at the age of 
seventeen.  He had an experience as teacher in rural schools, and while so 
engaged took up the study of law with books borrowed from his brother C. J. 
HARDEE also an attorney.  He read in the night hours, on holidays and 
vacations, and at the age of twenty-two was admitted to the bar and began 
practice at Live Oak, the town still honored by his legal residence.  Governor 
HARDEE continued to practice law until 1914, and gained a place among the 
State's leading attorneys.  From 1905 to 1913 he was state's attorney of the 
Third Judicial District.  In 1915 he was elected to represent Suwanee County in 
the Legislature, was chosen speaker of the House, and was again speaker in the 
session of 1917.  Since 1914 his business energies have been largely directed 
to banking.  He was one of the organizers in 1902 of the First National Bank of 
Live Oak and has been its president since 1907.  He is also president of the 
Branford State Bank at Branford in Suwanee County, and is owner and one of the 
organizers of the Mayo State Bank at Mayo in Lafayette County.  He was for over 
twenty years a Deacon in the Baptist Church of Live Oak and active in its 
Sunday school.  During the World war Mr. HARDEE acted as chairman of Liberty 
Loan committee in Suwanee County during all the five campaigns for the sale of 
Government bonds.  He is one of the trustees of the Florida Historical Society, 
and his private library indicates his strong inclination for historical reading 
and research.  Governor HARDEE is affiliated with the Royal Arch Chapter and 
Knight Templar Commandery of the Masonic Order at Live Oak, and Morocco Temple 
of the Shrine at Jacksonville.  He is a past Chancellor Commander of Live Oak 
Lodge Knights of Pythias and a member of the Elks at Tallahassee.  His favorite 
outdoor recreation is fishing.  In his public career, and since he entered the 
Governor's mansion at Tallahassee, Mr. HARDEE has represented the very essence 
of democracy, and shows not a trace of personal egotism.  He has the sympathies 
of a man who has achieved success by rugged effort and exertion.  Among other 
qualities he is a brilliant orator.
	February 7, 1900, at Madison, he married Miss MAUDE RANDLE of that 
town, daughter of THEODORE and MOSELEY (HARRIMAN) RANDLE, both natives of 
Florida and representing old time families of the state.  His grandfather Capt. 
VANCE RANDLE was a soldier in the Civil war.  THEODORE RANDLE was a planter, 
served as state senator and was an active democrat and Baptist.  During the 
World war, Mrs. HARDEE was a leader in her home community at Live Oak in war 
auxiliary movements.  They have one daughter MOSELEY, wife of LOUIS J. DAY, a 
lumber merchant at Live Oak.  Mr. and Mrs. DAY have a daughter MARY VIRGINIA.

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