American politician
John Spafford Harris
(December 18, 1825 – January 25, 1906) was an American politician for the state of
Louisiana
and member of the
Republican Party
. Born to a farm family in
Truxton, New York
, Harris was a delegate to the Louisiana state constitutional convention in 1868. He was a member of Louisiana State Senate in 1868 and the first Republican
U.S. Senator
from Louisiana, serving from 1868 to 1871. Harris was buried at Forestvale Cemetery in
Helena, Montana
.
Education
[
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]
Harris attended the common schools,
[1]
and received some college education during his time in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
.
[2]
Career
[
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]
After the death of his mother, Harris accompanied his father to
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, in 1846. Initially employed as clerk in a mercantile establishment, he worked as a merchant, real estate dealer, and banker. He eventually rose to be president of Milwaukee's Marine Bank.
[3]
[4]
In the fall of 1863, traveled to
Memphis, Tennessee
but found it strictly blockaded by federal authorities. Consequently, he resolved to return home via New Orleans and New York. An accident happened and his boat was detained in
Natchez, Mississippi
, where he was induced to lease one of the largest cotton plantations in Louisiana. By the end of the
American Civil War
, he had become one of the biggest planters in
Louisiana
.
[5]
He became increasingly involved in politics by organizing local freedmen into clubs and instructing them about their new political rights. As a member of the Republican Party, he took a moderate course, and was seen by the
New Orleans Picayune
as "one of the mildest and most temperate Republicans", although the
New Orleans Republican
noted that he was an abolitionist. He was sworn in as a state senator on June 29, 1868. Nine days later, he was nominated to serve as a US senator for the short term ending in 1871. He succeeded Judah P. Benjamin who had withdrawn from the Senate previous to the war.
[6]
His nomination was confirmed by both houses.
[7]
He completed his term on March 3, 1871.
Harris was appointed surveyor general for the state of
Montana
by President
Chester Arthur
in 1881.
[8]
Death
[
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]
Harris died in
Butte, Montana
on January 25, 1906,
[9]
and is buried in
Helena, Montana
.
[10]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Harris, John Spafford"
. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
. Retrieved
30 July
2012
.
- ^
Howard J. Jones, "Biographical Sketches of Members of the 1868 Louisiana State Senate," The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, vol. 19, no. 1 (winter, 1978), 80-82.
- ^
Howard J. Jones, "Biographical Sketches of Members of the 1868 Louisiana State Senate," The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, vol. 19, no. 1 (winter, 1978), 80-82.
- ^
History of Montana, 1739-1885 (Chicago: Warner, Beers, and Co., 1885), 1216.
- ^
History of Montana, 1739-1885 (Chicago: Warner, Beers, and Co., 1885), 1216.
- ^
History of Montana, 1739-1885 (Chicago: Warner, Beers, and Co., 1885), 1216.
- ^
Howard J. Jones, "Biographical Sketches of Members of the 1868 Louisiana State Senate," The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, vol. 19, no. 1 (winter, 1978), 80-82.
- ^
"Harris, John Spafford"
. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
. Retrieved
30 July
2012
.
- ^
"Harris, John Spafford"
. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
. Retrieved
30 July
2012
.
- ^
Howard J. Jones, "Biographical Sketches of Members of the 1868 Louisiana State Senate," The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, vol. 19, no. 1 (winter, 1978), 80-82.
External links
[
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]