Edward Harris (March 5, 1763 – March 28, 1813) was a
United States circuit judge of the
United States Circuit Court for the Fifth Circuit.
Education and career
Born on March 5, 1763, in
Iredell County
Iredell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,693. Its county seat is Statesville, and its largest town is Mooresville. The county was formed in 1788, subtracted from Ro ...
,
Province of North Carolina,
British America
British America comprised the colonial territories of the English Empire, which became the British Empire after the 1707 union of the Kingdom of England with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, in the Americas from 16 ...
, Harris
read law
Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...
in 1791. He entered private practice in
New Bern,
North Carolina starting in 1791.
Federal judicial service
Harris was nominated by President
Thomas Jefferson on April 27, 1802, to a seat on the
United States Circuit Court for the Fifth Circuit vacated by Judge
Henry Potter. He was confirmed by the
United States Senate on April 29, 1802, and received his commission on May 3, 1802. His service terminated on July 1, 1802, due to abolition of the court.
Later career
Harris was a member of the
North Carolina House of Commons (now the
North Carolina House of Representatives
The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...
) from 1802 to 1803, and in 1807. He was a Trustee for the
University of North Carolina from 1805 to 1813. He was a Judge of the
North Carolina Superior Court from 1811 to 1813.
Death
Harris died on March 28, 1813, in
Lumberton, North Carolina.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Edward
1763 births
1813 deaths
19th-century American judges
Judges of the United States circuit courts
People from Iredell County, North Carolina
Politicians from New Bern, North Carolina
United States federal judges appointed by Thomas Jefferson
United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law