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. Early life and family Herbert Spencer Hadley was born on February 20, 1872, in Olathe, Kansas. He was the son of Major John Milton Hadley and Harriet Beach Jones Hadley. He attended the University of Kansas, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1892. He earned his law degree from Northwestern University with first honors in 1894. While at Northwestern, he helped establish the Northwestern University Law Review. In 1891 and 1894, Hadley won first prize in Missouri's oratorical contest. On October 8, 1901, Hadley married Agnes Lee. Their children were John Milton, Henrietta, and Herbert Spencer. Career Hadley practiced law in Kansas City, Missouri. His first public office as Kansas City assistant city counselor began in 1898. He was the prosecuting attorney for Jackson County, Missouri from 1901 to 1903. In this position, Hadley developed a reputation for vigorous prosecution, including an investigation of jury tampering in the civil courts and a campaign against public gambling. Although he was not re-elected as prosecuting attorney, Hadley was elected as attorney general for Missouri and served in that capacity from 1905 to 1909. As attorney general, he prosecuted successful cases against Standard Oil Company, railroads, several trusts, and St. Louis racetrack gamblers. During his term as attorney general, Hadley was the highest-ranking elected Republican official in Missouri. This, combined with Hadley's success with the Standard Oil Company suit and his record for reform, contributed to his 1908 election as governor of Missouri. His administration enacted penal reform, expanded safety and public health regulations, and established a nurse examiners' board, a fish and game commission, a game protection board, and a Missouri waterways commission. Many of Hadley's recommendations for change in other government sectors, such as revenue and public service, were not supported by