Alexander Harper (February 5, 1786December 1, 1860) was a
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
from
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
for three different non-consecutive tenures in the mid-19th century.
Biography
Born near
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
in the
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed from ...
, Harper immigrated to the United States and settled in
Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capita ...
. He pursued preparatory studies, studied law, was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in 1813, and commenced practice in Zanesville. He served as member of the
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate.
The House of Representatives first met in ...
in 1820 and 1821. He served as president judge of the
Court of Common Pleas
A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...
1822–1836.
Congress
Harper was elected as a
Whig to the
Twenty-fifth Congress
The 25th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 183 ...
(March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839). He was later elected to the
Twenty-eighth and
Twenty-ninth Congresses (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1847). He served as chairman of the
Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Twenty-eighth Congress), and was on the
Committee on Patents (Twenty-eighth Congress).
Harper was again elected to the
Thirty-second Congress
The 32nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1851, ...
(March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853). He resumed the practice of law.
Death
He died in Zanesville on December 1, 1860, and was interred in Greenwood Cemetery.
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Alexander
1786 births
1860 deaths
Members of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio state court judges
Politicians from Zanesville, Ohio
Politicians from Belfast
Irish emigrants (before 1923) to the United States
Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American judges