Hardesty, Robert

Biography

President Emeritus Robert L. Hardesty (1931–2013), Texas State University's seventh president, grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from George Washington University, where he developed his passion for politics. After serving in the U.S. Army, Hardesty worked as a reporter and columnist for the Army Times. In 1964, Hardesty became chief speechwriter for Postmaster General John Gronouski, the Democrats' principal spokesman. After the 1964 election, LBJ aide Jack Valenti recruited Hardesty to work as a speechwriter for President Lyndon B. Johnson. He wrote speeches and worked on legislation until the end of the Johnson administration, when he then moved to Austin to help write Johnson's memoirs, The Vantage Point.

In the early 1970s, Hardesty served as press secretary and special assistant to Texas Governor Dolph Briscoe for three years. In 1976, Hardesty joined The University of Texas System as Vice Chancellor for Government Affairs. He also served three terms as Chairman of the Postal Board of Governors.

In 1981, Hardesty was named president of Southwest Texas State University. His administration is credited with the creation of the LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series, the College of General Studies, the Wittliff Collections, and the push to construct the Alkek Library. Hardesty expanded private fundraising efforts and moved the university's sports teams from NCAA Division II to Division I. Under his leadership, the university's enrollment expanded from approximately 16,000 students to over 20,000 by the time he left in 1988, thus increasing the university's statewide visibility.

Texas 150 Oral History

President Emeritus Robert L. Hardesty talks about the effects recent (1986) cutbacks in university funding have had on the General Studies program at Southwest Texas State University.

LBJ100 Oral History Project

Robert Hardesty talks about how he came to the attention of the Johnson administration, his experiences writing speeches for the President from 1965-1969, and working with Johnson on his memoir Vantage Point. Hardesty notes that his first visit to SWT was with Johnson when he signed the Higher Education Act on campus and said: “If I had known I was going to go back there as president, I would have paid more attention to it.”

He also talks about how he and Johnson shared a common philosophy about education, and how his years of experience of watching Johnson work influenced his ability to run the university.