Out From the Shadows: The Life of John J. Harden

·John J Harden was one of the richest men on Oklahoma in the 1920's. He was an extraordinary power broker, influencing local and state decision-makers to approve his grandiose plans for construction of the Farmers Market in Oklahoma City and for the paving of many of the State's highways.·Harden dominated the cemetery and paving businesses in Oklahoma from the 1920's to the end of the Great Depression. His friendship with state and national political figures enabled him to legally procure influence at the highest levels of government. ·Harden's close personal relationship with the head of the nation's most prestigious newspaper chain was the basis for an intriguing public battle over control of state and local government. No one in Oklahoma received more press in the pre-Depression years than Harden and no one worked harder to avoid the publicity. Instead, Harden preferred to work behind the scenes to control City Hall. He decided the course of development of many acres of Oklahoma City "from the shadows". This story, for the first time, sheds light on his methods, his successes, and his failures.~~Bob Burke was bone in 1948 in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. He was a nationally known sportscaster and served as the Secretary of Commerce in the administration of Oklahoma Governor David L. Boren.