Horace H. Hagan, JR Commander 1919-1920 Department of Oklahoma

Horace Hagan Commander 1919-1920 Department of Oklahoma From Carson-Wilson-Rigney-Forrester-Shoemaker Post 1 Tulsa , Oklahoma

Horace H. Hagan, Jr. (b. October 13, 1891) was elected Commander of Joe Carson Post 1 in 1919. A founding member of Post 1, he went on to serve as Oklahoma’s first elected Department Commander, and also served on The American Legion National Executive Committee. He was a successful attorney, practicing civil and criminal law, before and after his service in World War I.

Hagan, who was very active in The American Legion at the local, state and national levels, was running hard for Department Commander and had the firm support of the Tulsa delegation.  In order to secure Hagan’s election as Commander, the Tulsa delegation, the largest in the state, pledged before the convention to support a resolution locating the Department headquarters in Oklahoma City in exchange for the Oklahoma City delegation’s pledge to vote for Hagan for Department Commander.  This unified the convention, and Hagan was unanimously elected Commander.