History of Atchison County, Kansas

by Sheffield Ingalls

HIRAM H. HACKNEY.

The measure of a man’s real worth to a community determines his standing and niche in the local hall of fame. While several things may be summed up in the final reckoning as to what constitutes a really useful citizen, his service to his fellow citizens in furthering institutions which are of the greatest benefit to the greatest number takes precedence over wealth, business ability, political success, or any accomplishments which have a tendency to place the individual ahead of his fellow men. No greater service to a city can be rendered than by the building up of a modern, progressive public school system. He who furthers the cause of education in a practical manner and takes a keen interest in the success of the city’s educational systems, as an unselfish task, befitting his citizenship, is entitled to an everlasting place in the hearts and minds of his fellow citizens. The public school system of Atchison is a monument to the labors of Hiram H. Hackney, and his fellow members of the board of education during the eight years while Mr. Hackney served as president of the board.

Hiram H. Hackney is a native of Fayette county, Pennsylvania, born near Uniontown, November 30, 1859. He is a son of Hiram H. and Elizabeth (Wyley) Hackney, both natives of Pennsylvania. The Hackney family in America came originally from the town of Hackney, England, now a part of the city of London, in the early part of the seventeenth century. Hiram H., the elder, was born in 1822, and died in 1899. He was the son of John Hackney, born in 1776, and lived on the original homestead of the Hackneys, who were Quaker followers of William Penn. Elizabeth Wyley was born in 1830, a daughter of Jacob and Hannah Way Wyley, members of an old colonial family of Irish descent. Hiram H., Sr., was a resident of Uniontown in his old age, and was the last surviving member of the board of directors, chartering the First National Bank of Uniontown. He was well to do and invested some of his funds in the West, becoming one of the original stockholders of the First National Bank of Atchison. He was also a “Forty Niner,” going overland to the gold fields of California in 1848, with a train of fortune hunters who outfitted at St. Louis and fought continually with the Indians on the trip across the plains and mountains. He engaged in the mercantile business at Sacramento and Marysville, Cal., for a period of two years. He returned home by way of Cape Horn, but made another trip before settling down to the pursuit of farming and business in his native State. His brother, Samuel, died of mountain fever while engaged in mining in the gold fields of California. Mr. Hackney became an extensive farmer, stockman and banker, and prospered exceedingly. He was known as a solid Quaker citizen “whose word was as good as his note.” Of his five children, four are living as follows: Mrs. Edward G. Hudson, of Newton, Kan.; Edgar S., of Uniontown: Dr. Jacob S., a practitioner in Uniontown, and Francis, who died in Pittsburgh.

Hiram H. Hackney, of Atchison, was educated in the State Normal School at California, Penn., and Duff’s Mercantile College, Pittsburgh. He did farm work while a youth, and taught school for two years. His father having purchased an interest in the First National Bank of this city he came here in 1881 and served as assistant cashier and director of the bank until 1910. He then sold his holdings and retired from banking pursuits on account of ill health, due to long years of close confinement to his duties. He then established a real estate, insurance, bond and loan business which he is now conducting with success. Mr. Hackney is interested in Atchison real estate, and coal lands in Pennsylvania, and is vice-president of the Blair Milling Company of Atchison.

In politics he is a Republican, and the only office he has ever held has been that of member of the board of education, from the presidency of which body he has only recently retired. Of his services on behalf of the public schools during his sixteen years’ membership on the board. The Atchison Globe said: “H. H. Hackney retired last night as a member of the school board and that board has lost its most useful member for at least two reasons: Mr. Hackney had the ability to handle the school finances and the time necessary to accomplish the things the board laid out. In addition he possessed an ambition to establish a system of schools and equipment that would reflect credit on the city and on the school board. He was a member of the board for sixteen years and its president for eight years, and during the eight years he was president he never had a disagreement with a member and there was never a question came up which was not settled either by an unanimous vote or in a way that left the members friendly. There never was a ‘row’ in the school board and there never was a session where reporters were barred. In the last eight years and under the management of Mr. Hackney, the school board has spent $300,000 in school betterments and the total indebtedness is but $25,000 greater than it was eight years ago. This includes the new Ingalls Building, Washington Building, accepting the plans and letting all contracts for the new Martin building, now under course of construction, rebuilding Franklin and building the new Douglas school. In these eight years manual training, mechanical drawing, domestic art and science, a commercial department, normal training, agriculture and physical training have been added to the high school, a school nurse employed, music added to all grades and kindergartens established in two buildings. Since Mr. Hackney became a member of the board the high school enrollment has increased from 66 to 338 and the faculty from three to twenty members.”...

During the time Mr. Hackney was a member of the school board he missed but one regular meeting. He is president of the board of trustees of the First Presbyterian Church and is a member of the board of directors of the Young Men’s Christian Association.

He was married in September of 1888, to Frances Blair, a daughter of E. K. Blair, deceased, formerly of Fayette county, Pennsylvania, founder of the Blair Milling Company of Atchison. Mrs. Hackney’s mother was Barbara (Allen) Blair. She was born and reared in Atchison, in the house located on the same lot where the Hackneys now live, with the exception of their first two years of married life, during which the new home was erected at 1021 North Third street. To Mr. and Mrs. Hackney have been born two children of whom they are justly proud, Helen Elizabeth, born 1890, a graduate of the College Preparatory School of Atchison, and the Bennett School for Girls, located on the Hudson, in New York, carrying honors at both her graduations; Edward Blair Hackney, born in 1893, is a graduate of the city high school and the Kansas University at Lawrence, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. While a student of the university he managed the Jay Hawker, the college annual, and performed his duties so ably and so thoroughly that Chancellor Strong declared that the “Annual” issue under his management was the best ever issued, the cost of which was $4,500, and managed so well that a nice profit was earned. The young man is now a traveling salesman for the Blair Milling Company.