James Henry Harris (1832–1891) was an American civil rights advocate, upholsterer, and politician. Born into slavery, he was freed as a young adult and worked as a carpenter's apprentice and worker before he went to

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

in Ohio. For a time, he lived in Chatham, Ontario, where he was a member of the

Chatham Vigilance Committee The Chatham Vigilance Committee was formulated before the American Civil War by black abolitionists in the Chatham, Ontario area to save people from being sold into slavery. Some of the members of the group were graduates of Oberlin College in Ohi ...

that aimed to prevent blacks being transported out of Canada and sold as slaves in the United States. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

(1861–1865), he was commissioned to organize black troops in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

for the

28th United States Colored Infantry Regiment The 28th United States Colored Infantry, also called the 28th Indiana Infantry (Colored), 1 was an African American infantry regiment from the state of Indiana that fought in the American Civil War. History On November 30, 1863, the United States ...

. After the war, he was an educator and politician in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. Harris was

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

's first African American politician. He became a political leader, helping to found the

North Carolina Republican Party The North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in North Carolina. Michael Whatley has been the chair since 2019. History Nineteenth century Although Republicans first nominated a candidate for President o ...

, serving as a Raleigh alderman, president of the State Equal Rights League, vice president of the

Union League The Union Leagues were quasi-secretive men’s clubs established separately, starting in 1862, and continuing throughout the Civil War (1861–1865). The oldest Union League of America council member, an organization originally called "The Leag ...

, and chairman of the 1866

Freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), abolitionism, emancipation (gra ...

's Convention. He was elected as a delegate to the state's 1868 constitutional convention, as a member of 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 ...

( 1868–1870, and 1883) and of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

(1872–1874).

Early life

In 1830 or 1832, Harris was born into slavery, with both black and white heritage, in

Granville County, North Carolina Granville County is a county located on the northern border of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,992. Its county seat is Oxford. Granville County encompasses Oxford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Are ...

. On August 3, 1840 he began an apprenticeship with Charles Allen to learn to be a carpenter. Later, he was a self-employed carpenter or upholsterer in

. He became free at 18 years of age. A certificate of his freedom was issued by the Granville County Clerk's office in 1848. He left the state and attended

in Ohio for two years. He moved to Chatham, Ontario, in the 1850s and was a member of the

, which was established before the

by black abolitionists. Its objective was to prevent people from being kidnapped from Canada and returned or sold into slavery in the United States. Some of the members of the group were graduates of

in Ohio. He was an agent of the National Emigration Convention. In 1862, he traveled to

Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate The Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone (informally British Sierra Leone) was the British colonial administration in Sierra Leone from 1808 to 1961, part of the British Empire from the abolitionism era until the decolonisation era. The Cr ...

and the

Colony of Liberia The Colony of Liberia, later the Commonwealth of Liberia, was a private colony of the American Colonization Society (ACS) beginning in 1822. It became an independent nation—the Republic of Liberia—after declaring independence in 1847. Early ...

. He supported the exploration of the Niger Valley by

Martin Delany Martin Robison Delany (May 6, 1812January 24, 1885) was an abolitionist, journalist, physician, soldier, and writer, and arguably the first proponent of black nationalism. Delany is credited with the Pan-African slogan of "Africa for Africans." ...

Civil War activity

After the outbreak of the

, Harris was commissioned in 1863 by Governor

Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horton ...

as a recruiting officer to organize black troops in

, including the

Career

Teaching

After the end of the war, Harris returned to Raleigh, North Carolina. Having received a teaching certificate from the New England

Freedmen's Aid Society The Freedmen's Aid Society was founded in 1859 during the American Civil War by the American Missionary Association (AMA), a group supported chiefly by the Congregational, Presbyterian and Methodist churches in the North. It organized a supply of ...

, he worked for them as a teacher in Raleigh beginning in June 1865.

Politics

Harris started his political career in 1865. He was particularly focused on reforms for orphans, women, laborers, and the poor. He was known to be a good orator. His political career started at the National Equal Rights Convention of 1865, when he was the event's vice-president. In 1865, he attended the first Freedman's Convention in the South; Held in Raleigh, he was a representative for

Wake County, North Carolina Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

. A committee of white men elected him a state representative at the State Convention in 1865. He was chairman of the 1866

's Convention. He helped found the

in 1867. He was also a leader in the

. Harris and a Mr. Lockett met with President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

by 1867. African American men obtained the right to vote by the

Reconstruction Acts The Reconstruction Acts, or the Military Reconstruction Acts, (March 2, 1867, 14 Stat. 428-430, c.153; March 23, 1867, 15 Stat. 2-5, c.6; July 19, 1867, 15 Stat. 14-16, c.30; and March 11, 1868, 15 Stat. 41, c.25) were four statutes passed duri ...

in 1867. Harris was elected as a delegate at the January 14, 1868 North Carolina Constitutional Convention and represented a predominantly black constituency,. In 1868, it was reported that Harris was "the first negro regularly nominated to Congress in the United States," a nomination he turned down. He attended the Republican National conventions in 1868, 1872, and 1876. In 1868 Governor

William Woods Holden William Woods Holden (November 24, 1818 – March 1, 1892) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of North Carolina, 38th and 40th governor of North Carolina. He was appointed by President of the United States, President ...

appointed him as one of two black men to the Raleigh Board of Commissioners. He was president of the National Convention of Colored Men in 1869. The same year, he pressed for ratification of a new education bill after the state public school fund had been depleted. He was a member of the

( 1868–1870, and 1883) and of the

(1872–1874). He served as a Raleigh alderman, president of the State Equal Rights League, and vice president of the

. He lobbied for legislation for equal rights for blacks, by chairing a delegation that met with U.S. President

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 ...

and presented a memorial to him. He was the National Black Convention's vice president in 1877. Harris lost two races for the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, the first by a slim margin in 1870 to Sion H. Rogers. Harris served as a member of the

United States Electoral College The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

, voting for

End of Reconstruction

By 1874,

disfranchisement after the Reconstruction era Disfranchisement after the Reconstruction era in the United States, especially in the Southern United States, was based on a series of laws, new constitutions, and practices in the South that were deliberately used to prevent black citizens from ...

was instituted bt so-called redeemers and state laws passed to take away African Americans' rights that had been granted to them after the Civil War. " Red Shirt" Democrats used scare tactics to prevent African Americans from voting and the Republican party chose to have " lily white" tickets to make it more likely to win elections. Harris moved to

Warren County Warren County is the name of fourteen counties in the USA. Some are named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War: * Warren County, Georgia * Warren County, Illinois * Warren County ...

in 1876. In 1878, his place on the ballot opposing another African-American Republican,

James E. O'Hara James Edward O'Hara (February 26, 1844 – September 15, 1905) was an American politician and attorney who in 1882, after Reconstruction, was the second African American to be elected to Congress from North Carolina.William H. Kitchin William Hodge Kitchin (December 22, 1837 – February 2, 1901) was an American lawyer, Confederate soldier and politician who served one-term U.S. Congressman from North Carolina as a Democrat. A white supremacist, Kitchin spent much of his poli ...

. Harris was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

s of 1884, when he was a supporter of

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A ...

's unsuccessful bid for renomination. In the 1888 presidential election, he was elected as a delegate for James G. Blaine. He accepted a position in President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

's administration, working in the nation's capital.

Oberlin and other community development

Harris developed what became known as Oberlin, a Raleigh-area community where former slaves were able to own their first homes. Named for

, is it considered one of Harris' significant accomplishments. The community is located along Clark Avenue, Wade Avenue, and Oberlin Road. For freedmen to finance the purchase of land and homes, Harris founded the Raleigh Cooperative Land and Building Association. He helped found the Negro branch of the North Carolina Institute for the Deaf, Dumb, and Blind, which was the first school for blind African-Americans in the nation. He was a member of the North Carolina Agricultural Society for his lifetime.

''North Carolina Republican''

Harris returned to Raleigh in 1880 and started a newspaper, the ''North Carolina Republican''. which was produced on "behalf of the Republican party and the advancement of the negro."

Personal life

He married Bettie Miller, with whom they had two children, Florence (died in 1876 or 1889) and David Henry Harris (died 1935). Harris died in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, on May 31, 1891, suddenly of heart disease. He was buried at Raleigh's Mount Hope Cemetery, which was created after all the plots for blacks had been taken at the City Cemetery. After his death, he was remembered as a "gifted politician and a talented orator" by Republican and Democratic newspapers. His records are held at the Records Relating to African Americans section of the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Legacy

A historical marker on Person Street at Davie Street in Raleigh states: "James H. Harris 1832-1891. Black legislator & orator; member 1868 convention; a founder of Republican Party & Union League in N.C. Home was 1 block W. It provides some information about James Henry Harris, but otherwise, there is little known of him. According to journalist Kate Pattison: "It is possible that Harris' legacy was snuffed out by the Reconstruction backlash, while former slaves continued to lose access to education, voting, and hope."

References

Works cited

External links

Minutes of the Freedmen's ConventionCampbell University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, James H. 1832 births 1891 deaths Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Republican Party North Carolina state senators 1872 United States presidential electors African-American state legislators in North Carolina Politicians from Raleigh, North Carolina 19th-century American politicians