John S. Harris

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, having served from 1868 to 1871. Harris was buried at Forestvale Cemetery in Helena, Montana.

For the Minnesota horticulturalist, see John S. Harris (horticulturalist).
John Spafford Harris
United States senator
from Louisiana
In office
July 8, 1868 – March 4, 1871
Preceded byJudah P. Benjamin
Succeeded byJoseph R. West
Personal details
Born(1825-12-18)December 18, 1825
Truxton, New York
DiedJanuary 25, 1906(1906-01-25) (aged 80)
Butte, Montana
Resting placeForestvale Cemetery in Helena, Montana
Political partyRepublican

Education

Harris attended the common schools,[1] and received some college education during his time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[2]

Career

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 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 He succeeded Judah P. Benjamin who had withdrawn from the Senate previous to the war.[6] His nomination was confirmed by both houses.[7] He completed his term on March 3, 1871.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

Harris died in Butte, Montana on January 25, 1906,[9] and is buried in Helena, Montana.[10]

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References
  1. "Harris, John Spafford". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. History of Montana, 1739-1885 (Chicago: Warner, Beers, and Co., 1885), 1216.
  5. History of Montana, 1739-1885 (Chicago: Warner, Beers, and Co., 1885), 1216.
  6. History of Montana, 1739-1885 (Chicago: Warner, Beers, and Co., 1885), 1216.
  7. 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.
  8. "Harris, John Spafford". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  9. "Harris, John Spafford". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  10. 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.
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
Judah P. Benjamin(1)		 U.S. senator (Class 2) from Louisiana
1868–1871
Served alongside: William P. Kellogg		 Succeeded by
Joseph R. West
Notes and references
1. Because of Louisiana's secession from the Union, the Senate seat was vacant from 1861 to 1868 when Judah P. Benjamin withdrew from the Senate.
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