Harley High Cartter, Sr. (March 23, 1810 – September 17, 1874), born Harlehigh Cartter, was an American jurist who served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Arizona Territory and President of the council during the

6th Arizona Territorial Legislature The 6th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which met in Tucson beginning on January 11, 1871, and ran until February 14, 1871. Background Arizona Territory's sixth legislative session wa ...

Biography

Cartter was born in Lowville (town), New York on March 23, 1810 to David Kellog and Elizabeth (Hollister) Cartter.

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 ...

Congressman David Kellogg Cartter was his brother. He was living in

Macomb County, Michigan Macomb County ( ) is a county located in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of Michigan, bordering Lake St. Clair, and is part of northern Metro Detroit. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 881,217, making it the third-most populous c ...

where he served as justice of the peace. On September 14, 1834, Cartter married Jane Louisa Scranton. The couple had seven children. In 1837, Cartter 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 ...

. He was elected to a two-year term as Macomb County district attorney beginning in 1842, the same year he moved to

Mount Clemens, Michigan Mount Clemens is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,314 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of government of Macomb County. History Mount Clemens was first surveyed in 1795 after the American Revolutionary War by Christi ...

. Cartter was twice elected to the Michigan House of Representatives, serving in 1845 and 1850. Cartter was nominated by President Andrew Johnson to replace Joseph P. Allyn in early 1867. Despite being a dyed-in-the-wool Jacksonian, he was confirmed by a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

controlled Senate. The new judge set sail from New York City with his son, Harley High Jr., and crossed

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

before reaching San Francisco in mid-July. He finally reached La Paz, Arizona Territory in September. Upon assuming his new office, he changed his name from "Harlehigh" to "Harley High". After reaching his new home, Catter proceeded to Prescott to attend the October 5, 1867 session of the territorial supreme court. After meeting him, the ''Arizona Miner'' described him as "a fine old gentleman, an able lawyer, and a sound Democrat". The new judge was an outspoken supporter of developing Arizona's natural resources. Threats from the indigenous population were the primary obstacle to developing the resources and Cartter felt the Federal government was dedicating too much effort with

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

at the expense of the American West. He did feel that better times would soon be at hand as he predicted a Democratic victory during the 1868 U.S. presidential election. Following a Republican victory in 1868,

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

replaced Cartter with a candidate more agreeable to the new president. After his replacement, Isham Reavis, was sworn in on August 29, 1869 he opened a private practice in La Paz. Newspaper notices for his practice stated, "Will attend to business in all the court of the Territory." Foreseeing the decline of La Paz's fortunes, he lived briefly in Ehrenberg before settling in Prescott in September 1870. Two years later, Cartter brought his son into his legal practice, forming the firm of "H.H. Cartter and Son." In November 1870, Cartter was elected to the upper house of the

. During the session the Council President, Daniel H. Stickney, died and Cartter was selected to replace him. Cartter died in Prescott on September 16, 1874 after suffering from paralysis. He was buried there in the Aztlan Lodge Masonic Cemetery where a Marker is located

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cartter, Harley High 1810 births 1874 deaths Burials in Arizona Arizona pioneers Justices of the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court Members of the Arizona Territorial Legislature Members of the Michigan House of Representatives People from Lowville, New York People from Mount Clemens, Michigan 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges