John Harris (New South Wales politician)

John Harris (10 August 18387 November 1911) was an Irish-born Australian politician. He was born in

Maghera Maghera (pronounced , ) is a small town at the foot of the Glenshane Pass in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Its population was 4,220 in the 2011 Census, increasing from 3,711 in the 2001 Census. It is situated within Mid-Ulster Distric ...

County Londonderry County Londonderry ( Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry ( ga, Contae Dhoire), is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. B ...

to John Harris and Nancy Ann McKee. His family migrated to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 1842. He attended the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, but left before graduating to manage the property he had inherited from his father. In 1869 he married Lizzie Henrietta Dingle Page; they had eight children. He was a Sydney City Councillor from 1873 to 1883, from 1885 to 1900 and from 1902 to 1911, serving as

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

from 1881 to 1883 and from 1888 to 1889, known for reforming the council and with a reputation for honesty. He was elected to the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

for West Sydney at the 1877 election, but he was defeated at the 1880 election. He was returned to the Legislative Assembly as the member for South Sydney at the 1882 election, he did not contest in 1885. He stood as the candidate for Pyrmont at the 1904 election, but was unsuccessful. He did not hold any ministerial office. Harris died at Ultimo on .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, John 1838 births 1911 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Mayors and Lord Mayors of Sydney Irish emigrants to colonial Australia