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Fannie Hardy Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MC 945

Scope and Content Note

The papers consist of personal correspondence of Fannie and her sister, Era Hardy; national and Arkansas state records of the Business and Professional Women's Clubs; papers pertaining to the career of Sarah Frances (Fannie) Hardy; and some papers of the Hardy family. Also included are papers concerning the military career of Era Hardy, much of which concerns service during World War II. The collection has been reproduced on microfilm.

Dates

  • 1907-1984

Creator

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Access Information

Please call (479) 575-8444 or email specoll@uark.edu at least two weeks in advance of your arrival to ensure availability of the materials.

Use Information

No Use Restrictions Apply.

No Interlibrary Loan.

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Biographical Note

INFORMATION ABOUT FANNIE HARDY

Sarah Frances (Fannie) Hardy was born in Clark County on a farm outside of Amity, Arkansas, on June 21, 1897. Her parents were Gallant Paulinus Timmons Hardy (1866-1954), son of Gallant and Elizabeth Ann Hardy of Clay County, Alabama and Senie Virginia Adams Hardy (1859-1945), daughter of James Crow Adams and Albina Adams of Pike county, Georgia. Paulinus and Senie Hardy had five daughters: Lillie Mae (1891-1945), Ann Viola (1893-198-), Mary Buena Vista (1895-198-), Sarah Frances (Fannie) (1897-1988), and Era Bertice (1900-1983).

As a child, Fannie Hardy studied violin and piano with local teachers in Amity, Arkansas, played violin in the school orchestra, and sang in the Methodist Church choir. After graduating from Amity high school in 1917, Hardy spent two years at the Atlanta Conservatory of Music in Atlanta, Georgia, studying piano and public school music, preparing herself for a career as a music teacher. In 1919, she returned to Amity and taught at the high school for one year. While in Atlanta, Hardy worked a part time office job and took typing and bookkeeping courses at the Southern Shorthand and Business University. These courses in addition to a year of business night school in Little Rock, Arkansas, (1923-1924) were the only formal business training Fannie Hardy received. From 1921-1944, she worked for the Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland as bookkeeper, office manager, and underwriter at their branch offices in Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; and Atlanta, Georgia. In 1945, Hardy returned to Little Rock to work for the Williams and Rosen Insurance Agency. She remained at Williams and Rosen until 1947. At the agency, she held the position of casualty and marine insurance underwriter and assistant to the manager. From 1947-1953, Fannie Hardy worked for E. E. Raines Co. and Coates and Raines, Inc. as casualty and marine insurance underwriter.

In January, 1953, Hardy was appointed by Governor Francis Cherry to the office of Executive Assistant Insurance Commissioner of Arkansas and then reappointed by Governor Orval Faubus. She remained in office until 1967. Her appointment in 1953 made Hardy the first woman in the United States to be appointed as an executive assistant state insurance commissioner. During her appointment, 1953-1967, Fannie Hardy was a member of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Hardy was Executive Assistant Insurance Commissioner of Arkansas, 1953-1967. Her appointment in 1953 made Hardy the first woman in the United States appointed to such a position. She was also president of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs (1960-1961). Her presidency was noted by controversy over her invitation to Arkansas Governor Orval E. Faubus to address the B and PW's national convention, an invitation which many protested because of Faubus's integration policies.

In August, 1960, Hardy became the first Arkansas woman to be elected president of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs. Founded in 1919, the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs is the largest and oldest organization in the nation for women. Hardy joined the Business and Professional Women's Club of Little Rock in 1922.

In 1947-1948, Hardy served as president of the Little Rock Club and as president of the Arkansas Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs in 1951-1952. From 1952-1954, she was the public affairs chairperson of the National Federation. In 1954 Fannie Hardy was elected third vice-president, in 1956 second vice-president, and in 1958 first vice-president of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs. As president of the National Federation from 1960-1961, Fannie Hardy presided at the meetings of the Executive Committee; attended meetings of the Finance Committee and Committee on Reevaluation of Committee Structure and Revision of Handbook; was based at the National Office in Washington, D.C. on weekends; and participated in National meetings and events. During her presidential tenure, Hardy represented the National Federation in Rhodesia at the International Business and Professional Women's board meeting. After her presidency, she continued her service to the National Federation and the local Little Rock organization. Oftentimes, she represented the National Federation at annual state conventions.

After her retirement from the Arkansas insurance commissioner's office in 1967, Hardy continued her public service not only through the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, but also through participation in the American Association of Retired Persons and the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement Association.

Fannie Hardy received many civic and community honors during her long life. In 1952 she was "Little Rock Woman of the Year," and in 1958 she was chosen "Business Woman of the Year". She served on the Arkansas Civil Defense Advisory Board and was active in the Arkansas chapter of the American Association for the United Nations, the American Legion Auxiliary, Insurance Women of Little Rock, the YMCA, the Democratic party, and the Methodist church. She served on President's Kennedy's Commission on the Status of Women , and was an advisor to Governor Orval Faubus's Commission on the Status of Women for the state of Arkansas. Fannie Hardy is listed in "Who's Who in Insurance" and "Who's Who of American Women". She died in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 24, 1988.

INFORMATION ABOUT ERA HARDY

Era Bertice Hardy, younger sister of Fannie Hardy, born on May 28, 1900, was also an Amity native. She graduated valedictorian of her class from Amity high school in 1918, and studied at the Southern Shorthand and Business University in Atlanta, Georgia, receiving a diploma in 1918. After working for the secretary of state of Arkansas for four years, Era Hardy was appointed warrant deputy in the state auditors office in Little Rock in 1925. She was the first woman ever appointed to that office in Arkansas. She held the office of warrant deputy for four years. For the subsequent twelve years, Era Hardy was cashier of the branch office at Little Rock of the Northeastern National Life Insurance Co. and a licensed underwriter.

On November 25, 1942, Era Hardy was sworn in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) which in 1943 became the Women's Army Corps (WAC). In December of the same year she received orders to report to Des Moines, Iowa, on January 6, 1943. After receiving basic training at Fort Des Moines, her first assignment was Camp Grant, Illinois. In October, 1943, Era Hardy graduated from the finance course at Wake Forest, North Carolina and went on to be chief of the accounting section at Fort Brady, Michigan, and Camp Ellis, Illinois. Sergeant Era Hardy was honorably discharged in September, 1945. Afterwards, she worked in the financial division of the regional office of the Veterans Administration in Little Rock until her retirement.

Era Hardy joined the Little Rock Business and Professional Women's Clubs in 1930 and was elected president in 1940-1941. She served as a delegate at large from Arkansas to the biennial convention of the National Federation in 1939 and represented the Arkansas Federation on the National Nominating Committee at the 1941 convention. In addition to her work with the Business and Professional Women's Clubs on the local and national levels, Hardy was president of the Daleth chapter of the Delphian Society and state president of the Arkansas Federation of Delphians in 1937. Governor Adkins of Arkansas (1941-1945) appointed Era Hardy to the Arkansas Defense Committee and the Arkansas State Committee, United Service Organizations. Era Hardy died in Little Rock, Arkansas on June 17, 1983.

Extent

26.5 Linear Feet (45 boxes, 22 microfilm reels)

Arrangement of the Papers

Material is arranged and described in 5 Groups.

  1. Record Group 1. Fannie Hardy
  2. Record Group 1. Series 1. Correspondence and Scrapbook. Volume 1; Boxes 1-3.
  3. Record Group 1. Series 1. Subseries 1. Personal. Box 1.
  4. Record Group 1. Series 1. Subseries 2. Professional. Volume 1; Boxes 2-3.
  5. Record Group 1. Series 2. National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs. Volumes 4-6; Boxes 4-13.
  6. Record Group 1. Series 2. Subseries 1. Presidency of Fannie Hardy, 1960-1961. Volumes 2-3; Boxes 4-6.
  7. Record Group 1. Series 2. Subseries 2. The 1961 convention and the convention speech of Governor Orval Faubus. Box 7.
  8. Record Group 1. Series 2. Subseries 3. Business and Professional Women's Clubs convention and other papers. Volumes 4-6; Boxes 8-13.
  9. Record Group 1. Series 3. Research Files. Volume 7; Boxes 14-23.
  10. Record Group 1. Series 3. Subseries 1. State Federation Files. Volume 7; Boxes 14-17.
  11. Record Group 1. Series 3. Subseries 2. Other Files. Boxes 18-23.
  12. Record Group 1. Series 4. Clippings. Boxes 24-26.
  13. Record Group 2. Era Hardy
  14. Record Group 2. Series 1. Correspondence. Boxes 27-30.
  15. Record Group 2. Series 1. Subseries 1. WAC Correspondence. Boxes 27-28.
  16. Record Group 2. Series 1. Subseries 2. Other Correspondence. Boxes 29-30.
  17. Record Group 2. Series 2. Scrapbooks and Diaries. Volumes 8-10; Boxes 31-33.
  18. Record Group 3. Other Hardy Family Papers
  19. Record Group 3. Series 1. Buena Hardy Newcomb. Volume 11; Box 34.
  20. Record Group 3. Series 2. Hardy Sisters Account and Expense Books, and Other Documents. Volume 12; Boxes 35-39.
  21. Record Group 4. Photographs
  22. Record Group 4. Series 1. Fannie Hardy. Boxes 40-41.
  23. Record Group 4. Series 1. Subseries 1. Portraits, personal photographs, snapshots, and other pictures. Box 40.
  24. Record Group 4. Series 1. Subseries 2. Fannie Hardy's activities with the Business and Professional Women's Club (B and PW). Box 40.
  25. Record Group 4. Series 1. Subseries 3. Fannie Hardy's career in insurance and as Executive Assistant Insurance Commissioner of Arkansas. Box 41.
  26. Record Group 4. Series 2. Era Hardy. Box 41.
  27. Record Group 4. Series 2. Subseries 1. Portraits, personal photographs, and snapshots. Box 41.
  28. Record Group 4. Series 2. Subseries 2. Era Hardy's activities in the Women's Army Corps. Box 41.
  29. Record Group 4. Series 3. Other Hardy Family Members. Box 42.
  30. Record Group 5. Microfilm. Twenty-two reels.

Acquisition Information

The Fannie Hardy Papers were donated to the Special Collections Department by John Graves of Little Rock, Arkansas, and James M. Smith of Little Rock Arkansas, in 1989.

Processing Information

Processed by Norma Ortiz-Karp and Nan Lawler; completed in June 1990.

Updated by Katrina Windon in April 2021 to add a drawing in an oversize folder (MC 945) not referenced in original finding aid.

Title
Fannie Hardy Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Norma Ortiz-Karp and Nan Lawler
Date
June 1990
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Department Repository

Contact:
University of Arkansas Libraries
365 N. McIlroy Avenue
Fayetteville AR 72701 United States
(479) 575-8444