Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/116

 HARRIS

HARRIS

mations of the United States. He was elected professor of paleontoloj^y and stratigraphio geol- ogy at Cornell university in 189-1, was state geologist o{ Louisiana in 189!) and was elected a fellow of the American association for the advaiicciru'iit of science.

HARRIS, Hamilton, lawyer, was born in Preble, X.Y., May 1, 1820; son of Frederick Watermai) ami Lucy (Hamilton) Harris. He prepared for college at Cortland academy, and at the Albany academy, and was graduated from Union college in 1841 with high honors. He studied law in the office of his brother Ira in Albany and was admitted to the bar in 1845. He practised in Albany during his lifetime. He was district attorney of Albany county, 1853-57; member of the assembly, 1851; member of the stiite Republican committee, 1862-70, and chair- man of the committee, 1864-70; chairman of the board of capitol commissioners. 1865-75, and state senator, 1876-80. He was elected a regent of the New York state university in 1885. He was lead- ing counsel for the New York Central & Hudson River and the Boston & Albany railroad com- panies. He was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for representative in congress from his district in 1876. He died in Albany, N.Y., Dec. 14. U»00.

HARRIS, Henry Herbert, educator, was born in Louisa county. Va., Dec. 17, 1837. He was graduated at the University of Virginia in 1860, ii.nd served in the Confederate army in the engi- neer corps as 1st lieutenant during the civil war. He was prominent in 1865 in reopening Rich- mond college, and he was professor of Greek there, 1866-96, and chairman of the facultj- four years. He was ordained pastor of a church in the suburbs of Richmond, Va., in 1869. He be- came a member of the faculty of the Southern Baptist theological seminary at Louisville, Ky., in 1896. He was editor of the Educational Jour- nal, 1873-76; president of the Virginia Baptist historical society, 1876-96, editor of the Foreign Misision Journal, 1887, and one of the editors of the lif'h'tiioHs Herald for several years. He re- ceived the degrees of A.M., D.D. and LL.D. from his alma mater, and that of D.D. from Washing- ton and Lee university in 1873. He died in Lynchburg, Va.. Feb. 4, 1897.

HARRIS, Ira, senator, was born in Charleston, Montgomery county, N.Y., May 31, 1802; son of Frederick Waterman and Lucy (Hamilton) Har- ris of English and Scotch ancestry, respectively. His father, a farmer, removed to a new farm of 400 acres in Preble, Cortland county, in 1808, and Ira followed the custom of the day alternat- ing farm work witii attendance at tlie district school, aiul was prepared for college at the Cort- and academy, Homer, N.Y. He was graduated

at Union college with honors in 1824; was ad- mitted to the bar in 1827, and practiseil law in Al- bany, N. Y., 1827-48. He was a member of the state assembly for two terms, 1844-45; a moml)er of the state constitutional convention of 1846; state senator, 1847; a judge of the supreme court of the state, 1847-59 ; absent in Europe, 1860; U.S. senator, 1861-67, and delegate to the state constitu- tional convention of 1867. He was profes- sor of equity, juris- prudence and practice in the Albany law school when not ab- sent in Washington, 1850-75, and lecturer on American law in the Columbian uni- versity, Washington, D.C., 1865-71. He was a trustee of Union college and president of the board of trustees, 1848-75. He was acting president of the college. 1868-69, between the time of the resignation of President Hickok and the election of President Aiken. He was a trustee and president of the board of trustees of Vassar college; president of the Albany medical college; a founder and the only chancellor of Rochester university', 1850-53, and a trustee, 1850-76. He is the author of addresses: Life and Character of Pioger Williams and Government of Cities (1867). He received the honorary degree of LL.D. He died in Albany, N.Y., Dec. 2, 1875.

HARRIS, Isham Green, senator, was born near Tullalioma, Franklin county, Tenn., Feb. 10, 1818; son of Isham Harris, a native of Montgom- ery county, N.C., who removed to Bed- ford and thence to Franklin county,

Tenn., about 1810. His elder brother, William R. Harris, born in North Caro- lina, Sept. 26, 1803, was a lawyer in Paris, Tenn., judge of the 9th circuit, 1836-45, and judge of the su- I)reme court of the state from 1855 till his death, Jan. 13, 1858. Lsham Green

attended W^inchester academy, and left home in 1832. He was a clerk -A Paris, Tenn., in a dry goods store, 1832-37; conducted a store in part-