The Politician’s Joke

Herbert Spencer Hadley (February 20, 1872 – December 1, 1927) was an American lawyer and a Republican Party politician from St. Louis, Missouri. Born in Olathe, Kansas, he was Missouri Attorney General from 1905 to 1909 and in 1908 was elected the 32nd Governor of Missouri, serving one term from 1909 to 1913. As Attorney General, he successfully prosecuted Standard Oil Company for violating Missouri antitrust law. Entering the 1912 Republican convention, the Roosevelt and Taft forces seemed evenly matched, and Hadley was seen as a possible compromise candidate. While Taft was supportive of the idea, Roosevelt refused