John T. Harris
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- For other people with the same name, see John Harris (disambiguation).
| John Thomas Harris | |
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| In office March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861 March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873 March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1881 |
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| Preceded by | John Letcher William Milnes, Jr. Elliott M. Braxton |
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| Succeeded by | Rees Bowen Thomas Whitehead John Paul |
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| Born | May 8, 1823 Browns Gap, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | October 14, 1899 Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Independent Democrat, Democrat |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Judge |
John Thomas Harris (May 8, 1823 – October 14, 1899) was a nineteenth century politician, lawyer and judge from Virginia. He was the first cousin of John Hill.
Born in Browns Gap, Virginia, Harris completed academic studies, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1845, commencing practice in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He was the commonwealth attorney for Rockingham County, Virginia from 1852 to 1859 and was elected an Independent Democrat to the United States House of Representatives in 1858, serving from 1859 to 1861. He ran for reelection, but the seat was terminated from Congress due to Virginia's succession from the Union on April 17, 1861. Harris was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1863 to 1865 and judge of the twelfth judicial circuit of Virginia from 1866 to 1869. On the readmission of Virginia to the Union in 1869, Harris ran for the House of Representatives at a special election held in July, 1869, but was unsuccessful. He was later elected back to the House as a Democrat in 1870, serving from 1871 to 1881. Their, he served as chairman of the Committee on Elections from 1875 to 1879 and chairman of the Committee on Revision of Laws from 1879 to 1881. Harris declined a unanimous renomination in 1880 and was chairman of the Virginia Democratic Convention in 1884 and was commissioner to the World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois. He died in Harrisonburg, Virginia on October 14, 1899 and was interned their in Woodbine Cemetery.
[edit] External links
- John T. Harris at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- John T. Harris at Find A Grave
| Preceded by John Letcher |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 9th congressional district March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1861 |
Succeeded by Rees Bowen(1) |
| Preceded by William Milnes, Jr. |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 6th congressional district March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873 |
Succeeded by Thomas Whitehead |
| Preceded by Elliott M. Braxton |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 7th congressional district March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1881 |
Succeeded by John Paul |
| Notes and references | ||
| 1. Because of Virginia's secession, the House seat was vacant for twelve years before Bowen succeeded Harris. | ||
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