John Thomas Harris (May 8, 1823 – October 14, 1899) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and judge from

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 ...

. He was often referred to after 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 ...

as "Judge Harris", even after his election to Congress. He was the first cousin of John Hill.

Early and family life

Born in Browns Gap, Virginia, Harris completed academic studies and studied law.

Career

Admitted to the bar in 1845, Harris began his legal practice in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He was elected the commonwealth attorney for

Rockingham County, Virginia Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 83,757. Its county seat is the independent city of Harrisonburg. Along with Harrisonburg, Rockingham County forms the Harrisonbur ...

and served from 1852 to 1859. He won election as an

Independent Democrat In U.S. politics, an independent Democrat is an individual who loosely identifies with the ideals of the Democratic Party but chooses not to be a formal member of the party (chooses to be an independent) or is denied the Democratic nomination ...

to 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in 1858, serving from 1859 to 1861. He ran for reelection, but the seat was terminated from

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

due to

's secession from the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

on April 17, 1861. Harris initially vehemently opposed secession, including in a large political rally in Rockbridge, but George Deneale took the opposite position, and Harris later lobbied voters to elect delegates who would allow a referendum on secession, which passed nearly unanimously in the county.

American Civil War

Rockbridge voters elected Harris to 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-number ...

, and served from 1863 to 1865.

Return to Congress

After the war's end, Harris became judge of the twelfth judicial circuit of

from 1866 to 1869. He became known for his "frank and manly" acceptance of the war's results, including his charge to the grand jury on May 11, 1867, exhorting members to do their duty "without fear or favor." Upon

's adopting a new Constitution which forbad slavery and thus allowed its readmission to the

in 1869, and restoration of civil rights to Confederate officials, Harris ran for the House of Representatives at a special election held in July 1869, but lost. The following year, 1870, voters sent him back to the U.S. Congress as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, and he won re-election several times, serving from 1871 to 1881. However, the numbering of the district Harris represented changed from Virginia's 6th District to Virginia's 7th District in 1872 due to reapportionment after the 1870 census. A

White supremacist White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...

he opposed

Civil Rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

for African Americans. Harris chaired the Committee on Elections from 1875 to 1879 and chairman of the Committee on Revision of Laws from 1879 to 1881. Harris declined a unanimous renomination in 1880. After a contested election, his successor as Commonwealth Attorney (and former state Senator) John Paul succeeded him for one term, and was succeeded by the

Charles Triplett O'Ferrall Charles Triplett "Trip" O'Ferrall (October 21, 1840 – September 22, 1905) was a Virginian politician who served as a U.S. Representative from 1883 to 1894 and as the 42nd Governor of Virginia from 1894 to 1898. Early and family life Charles O ...

, whom Harris had defeated in 1872 and 1874. Harris served as chairman of the Virginia Democratic Convention in 1884, and was a commissioner to the 1893

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Death and legacy

He died in Harrisonburg, Virginia on October 14, 1899 and was interred there in Woodbine Cemetery. His papers are held in the special collections division of the

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...

library.http://www.lib.jmu.edu/special/manuscripts/2025Harris.aspx The John T. Harris collection (SC#2025) at James Madison University's Special Collections.

Electoral history

*1870; Harris was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives unopposed. *1872; Harris was re-elected with 61.79% of the vote, defeating Independent Charles T. O'Ferrall. *1874; Harris was re-elected with 73.6% of the vote, defeating Republican John F. Lewis and Independents John F. Early and O'Ferrall. *1876; Harris was re-elected with 73.28% of the vote, defeating Republican Everett W. Early. *1878; Harris was re-elected with 56.46% of the vote, defeating Conservative John Paul.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, John T. 1823 births 1899 deaths Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers People from Harrisonburg, Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War Virginia Independents Independent Democrat members of the United States House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Virginia circuit court judges