In 1917, former Clay Center mayor, George Hanna, erected a building at 801 5th Street, which now holds C&N Credit Union.
George married Alice M. Gillespie in 1886 and they built the notable Hanna house in 1887. It still stands in the 500 block of Crawford St. in Clay Center.
He was also known for his pet mare, Daisy, who was often borrowed to help drag other mares after they died.
George’s brother, James, served as the Lieutenant Governor of Kansas from 1903 until 1907.
George and Alice had nine kids, including Dr. Lavone Hanna, who was a professor at Stanford University and the American University in Beirut, Lebanon. Lavone attended Lindenwood College in Missouri, one of the country’s oldest women’s colleges, before graduating from the University of Wisconsin.
She taught in Clay County, Bartlesville, and Tulsa, Ok, before getting a master’s from the University of Chicago. She obtained her doctorate while teaching in the Stanford area. She also worked as Long Beach’s director of curriculum.
She also became the head of the education department at San Francisco State University, where she spent 20 years before retiring. She was also known for writing multiple textbooks throughout her career.
Their son, George David, founded the First Federal Savings Bank of Newton. After graduating from Kansas State College and the University of Wisconsin, he went into the banking industry. He also did relief work for the YMCA in WWI-devastated Europe while in college.
George and Alice’s eldest child, Edna, did not marry until she was 71, in 1958. She died just two years later.
Her spouse, Frank Moses, outlived her by 10 years. The pair were buried side-by-side in Greenwood Cemetery. George William, Emma, James, and more family members also remain in Greenwood near a large family marker.
George notably died in the Governor’s office while “on a political mission for his home county.” He was visiting Gov. Alf Landon, just three months after he had taken office; George was 71 years old.
Pictures: Top: George Hanna, above right: the Hanna building in downtown Clay Center, above left: the Hanna House on Crawford Street. Left: Lavone Hanna in 1923 while attending the Clay County High School.
Research via Susan Hammond
