Alfred W. Harris (1854-March 24, 1920) was an American lawyer and legislator in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

who represented

Dinwiddie County Dinwiddie County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,947. Its county seat is Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie County is part of the Richmond, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The f ...

in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

from 1881 until 1888.

Early life

Harris was born free in

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

, in 1854, the son of Jemima and Henry Harris, whose very large family in Fairfax and neighboring Prince William counties had been free as early as 1776. He attended public schools in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

. He read law privately with George W. Mitchell, a Black lawyer, then enrolled in the

Howard University Law School Howard University School of Law (Howard Law or HUSL) is the law school of Howard University, a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest law schools in the country and the oldes ...

in Washington, D.C. and graduated in 1881. His father had died by 1870, when Harris worked as a laborer and lived with his 55 year old mother Jemima, 23 and 9 year old sisters, 15 year old brother and two other people in Alexandria. A decade later, the census already characterized Harris as a lawyer (and his brother as a medical student), although their youngest sister no longer lived with the family and their household included two adopted siblings.

Career

While in Alexandria, Harris edited the ''Summer Tribune'' and in April 1876 joined the editorial staff of the ''People’s Advocate''. Despite being admitted to the Virginia bar in Alexandria in 1880, after graduating from Howard's law school, Harris moved to Dinwiddie County outside

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

, where he operated a farm of 12.5 acres as well as began a private legal practice.Jackson p. 20 He became associated with the

Readjuster Party The Readjuster Party was a bi-racial state-level political party formed in Virginia across party lines in the late 1870s during the turbulent period following the Reconstruction era that sought to reduce outstanding debt owed by the state. Readj ...

, which held power in Petersburg. Voters in Petersburg and surrounding

elected and re-elected Harris to represent them in the Virginia House of Delegates during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

. Harris became known as the best debater among the Black delegates in the Virginia General Assembly of his day. As a legislator, Harris in particular pushed for the creation of Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute (now Virginia State University).

Personal and family life

In Alexandria on December 31, 1884, Harris married Ida R. Morris of nearby

Prince William County Prince William County is located on the Potomac River in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 482,204, making it Virginia's second-most populous county. Its county seat is the independent city of Manassas ...

, who would bear several children as well as survive him. In the 1900 census, while Harris was again characterized as a lawyer, she was listed as a schoolteacher, and their household included five sons and 2 daughters. In the 1910 census, the couple continued to live in Dinwiddie County with their 23 year old son (Alfred W. Harris Jr.) as well as their 17 year old daughter Alfreda, and younger sons Christopher (15), Franklin(12) and Clarence (10 years old).

Death and legacy

Harris died in Petersburg on March 24, 1920, of arteriosclerosis complicated by a stroke. Alumni and staff of that college erected a gravestone at historic

Blandford Cemetery Blandford Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in Petersburg, Virginia. The oldest stone, marking the grave of Richard Yarbrough, reads 1702. It is located adjacent to the People's Memorial Cemetery, a historic African-American cemetery. Alt ...

to mark his legislative service.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Alfred W. Politicians from Fairfax County, Virginia People from Dinwiddie County, Virginia People from Alexandria, Virginia 1854 births 1920 deaths Howard University School of Law alumni Virginia lawyers Members of the Virginia House of Delegates

Early life

Career

Personal and family life

Death and legacy

See also

References