Louis H. Hannen, one of the prominent members of the Burlington bar, was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., Nov. 1, 1869, a son of Henry and Mary (Bonair) Hannen. He is descended from a long line of French and Swiss ancestors, his great-grandfather having been a member of the famous Swiss Guard of Napoleon. His mother, Mary Bonair, is of French descent. His father was born in Switzerland and married before he came to the United States in 1850. He was a jeweler by trade and after reaching this country located in New York state but soon moved to Indiana and opened a store at Fort Wayne. In 1878, Mr. Hannen came to Kansas and preëmpted a homestead in Russell county, where he engaged in farming. At that time there were few settlements in the country, and he began to raise cattle, letting them range on the government land. Mr. Hannen and his wife are old people now. The country they knew as the "Great American Desert" is now the finest farm land in the states; the wilderness is settled up, and they are spending the sunset years of life with their daughter at Great Bend, Kan.

Louis Hannen received his early education in the common schools of the frontier, as he was only nine years old when the family settled in Russell county. Subsequently he lived in Pottawatomie, Lyon and Coffey counties. He is a graduate of the high school at Burlington and then attended the State Normal School at Emporia. After leaving school, Mr. Hannen at once began to teach and followed that profession for thirteen years, serving two terms as county superintendent. While acting in this capacity he began to read law in the office of E. M. Connel of Burlington, Kan. He passed the state bar examination, and was admitted to practice in Kansas in 1901, beginning his professional career in partnership with Henry E. Gause at Burlington. This partnership lasted for about five years when Mr. Gause moved to Emporia, to act as attorney for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad. Mr. Hannen is a local leader in the Democratic party, and though the Republicans are in the majority he is tireless in his endeavors to gain every possible advantage for it. He has served as chairman of the Democratic county committee and ran for state senator in 1906, but was defeated, as the district is strongly Republican. Men reared upon the frontier are usually self-reliant and Mr. Hannen is an example of this rule. He has risen to his present high standing as an attorney through his own unaided efforts. He has a large and lucrative practice and owns several fine farms and considerable property in Burlington.

In 1899, Mr. Hannen married Agnes, the daughter of Michael Dore, of Waverly, Kan., who is a well-to-do farmer. Two children have been born to this union. Mr. and Mrs. Hannen are members of the Roman Catholic church, as their parents were.