Denver David Hargis
Politician. Democrat. Born: July 22, 1921, Key West, Florida. Served in U.S. House of Representatives, 3rd District: January 3, 1959, to January 3, 1961.
Denver Hargis was born in Key West, Florida, on July 22, 1921, but moved with his parents to Coffeyville, Montgomery County, Kansas, the following year. He attended Coffeyville public schools and then enlisted in the United States Navy in January 1941, serving until October 1943. After the war, Hargis graduated from Washburn University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1946 and law degree from the Washburn law school two years later. He was mayor of Coffeyville from 1953-1958 and from 1956 to 1959 was a member of the Arkansas River Basin Committee. Hargis was elected to Congress in November 1958 and served a single term, January 3, 1959, to January 3, 1961. After his unsuccessful reelection effort in the general election of 1960-defeated by the Republican nominee, Walter McVey-Hargis served as a consultant with the Department of Defense and in the Department of Commerce from 1962 to 1966 and then moved to Florida; he retired in Sarasota, Florida, in 1985.
Entry: Hargis, Denver David
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: June 2011
Date Modified: May 2012
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
