Luke E. Hart
Luke Hart | |
---|---|
10th Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus | |
![]() President John F. Kennedy and Luke E. Hart in 1961 | |
Church | Catholic Church |
Installed | September 1, 1953 |
Term ended | February 19, 1964 |
Predecessor | John E. Swift |
Successor | John W. McDevitt |
Personal details | |
Birth name | Luke Edward Hart |
Born | Maloy, Iowa, U.S. | July 31, 1880
Died | February 19, 1964 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 83)
Nationality | American |
Denomination | Roman Catholic |
Spouse | Catherine J. Hart (née O'Connor) |
Children | 6 |
Alma mater |
Luke Edward Hart GCSG KCSG (July 31, 1880 – February 19, 1964) was the tenth Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, serving from September 1, 1953 until his death on February 19, 1964.
Personal life[]
Hart was born in 1880 in Maloy, Iowa. He set up his office in St. Louis where he practiced law and later was an alderman.[1] He received an undergraduate degree from Drake University and a law degree from the University of Missouri.[1] In 1905, he married Catherine J. O'Connor, who predeceased him; they had six children, two of whom predeceased him.[1] From 1934-38, he was the president and general counsel of the Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company.[2]
Career[]
National leader[]
Hart was delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri in 1940. During World War I, he was a member of the executive committee of the United War Work campaign. He helped to found the United Service Organizations and the Boys Club of St. Louis.[1] Hart was also a member of the board of the St. Lousi Catholic Orphan Board.[1]
Knights of Columbus[]
Hart was elected Supreme Advocate of the Knights of Columbus in 1922 and was Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from 1954-63. He was awarded the in 1920 after leading a delegation of Knights who presented a statue of Lafayette to the French people.[1] He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great in 1927, and a knight commander in 1939.[1] He was awarded entry into the Order of St. Raymond of Peñafort in Spain and made a Secret Chamberlain of Cape and Sword in 1951.[1]
He attended the coronation of Pope John XXIII.[1] In 1951, Hart was elected president of the National Fraternal Congress. By the end of the 1950s Supreme Knight Hart was actively encouraging councils to accept black candidates.[2] It was during Hart's tenure in 1954 that the Knights petitioned to get "under God" inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance.[1]
Death[]
Hart died on February 19, 1964 at St. Raphael's Hospital in New Haven, Connecticut.[1] He is buried in the crypt of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k "Luke E. Hart Dies, 83, K. of C. Supreme Knight". The Boston Globe. February 20, 1964. p. 36.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Kauffman, Christopher J. (2001). Patriotism and Fraternalism in the Knights of Columbus. The Crossroad Publishing Company. ISBN 0-8245-1885-3.
External links[]
- 1880 births
- 1964 deaths
- People from St. Louis
- People from Ringgold County, Iowa
- Burials at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (St. Louis)
- Supreme Knights of the Knights of Columbus
- Catholics from Missouri
- Catholics from Iowa