Hardt was one of the founding faculty members of The School of Criminal Justice at the State University of New York at Albany, specializing in criminology statistics. Over his 30-year career at the school – which is now the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy – Hardt's students included dozens of State Troopers and officers and officials in the New York City Police Department. He worked extensively with the State Police to develop an entrance exam that was free of racial bias.

Prior to his work in Albany, Hardt was at Syracuse University, where he served as research director for several anti-poverty and anti-delinquency programs.

Born on Aug. 27, 1927, in Albany and raised in Rensselaer, N.Y., Hardt was the son of a railroad locomotive engineer, Henry L. Hardt, and the former Mildred McLouglin. He had a younger sister, Mary, who died in 1999.

A graduate of the Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, Hardt enlisted in the Army in 1945 and was assigned to Mason General Hospital on Long Island, where he worked with veterans who were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Following his service, Hardt graduated from Albany State Teachers College – now SUNY Albany -- before receiving a Master's Degree in Sociology from Indiana University and a Ph. D. from Syracuse.

Throughout his life, Hardt was extremely politically active, embracing the third-party presidential candidacies of Henry Wallace in 1948 and the little-known Barry Commoner in 1980. His many hobbies and passions included gardening, following the New York Yankees and the Syracuse Orangemen, and walking. He never learned to drive.

Hardt and his wife, the former Sandra Peterson, spent their time in homes in Slingerlands, N.Y., Berlin, N.Y., and in Boynton Beach. They retired full-time to Florida in 2013.

Besides his wife, Hardt is survived by two daughters from a previous marriage, Lisa Selden of Old Orchard Beach, Me. and her husband, Lynn; Julie Lister of Oneonta, N.Y., as well as a son, Robert of Rockaway Beach, N.Y. and his wife, Brigid Bergin. Hardt's other surviving family members include five granddaughters, Valerie, Sarah, April, Mary, and Emma.

The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance, 167 Brainard Rd, Averill Park NY 12018.[www.rensselaerplateau.org].

A memorial service for  Hardt will be held at the Boyton Memorial Chapel at 800 West Boynton Beach Blvd., on Friday, Feb. 9, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. An additional memorial service and private burial will be held in the Albany area in the spring.