Richard Harison (January 12, 1747 (O.S.)He was born on January 12, 1747, in the then used

Julian Calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...

; this date corresponds to January 23, 1748, in the

Gregorian Calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...

which has been used in America since 1752. in New York City – December 7, 1829) was an American lawyer and

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

politician from New York.

Life

He was the son of George Harison (son of

Francis Harison Francis Harison (died 1740) was a lawyer and politician in colonial New York. Life He was the son of Rev. William Harison (died 1694), Rector of Cheriton, England. He came to New York in 1708. On October 5, 1721, Harison was appointed Judge of ...

) and Jane (Nicholls) Harison. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from King's College in 1764. He married Maria Jones, and their son was George Folliott Harison (1776–1846), the namesake of " Harison's Yellow Rose". He practiced law in New York City in partnership with

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

. On September 4, 1783, Harison married Frances Duncan Ludlow (1766–1797; daughter of George Duncan Ludlow), and they had four children. Harison was Deputy Grand Master of Masons of New York from 1786 to 1788. He was a delegate to the New York Convention which adopted the

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

in 1788, and voted for adoption. He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

in 1788 and 1788–89. In 1789, Harison was appointed by President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

as the first

United States Attorney for the District of New York {{Short description, None The U.S. Attorney for the District of New York was from 1789 to 1815 the chief federal law enforcement officer in the federal judicial District of New York, which at that time was coterminous with the whole State of New Yo ...

. He remained in office until 1801, and was also

Recorder of New York City The Recorder of New York City was a municipal officer of New York City from 1683 until 1907. He was at times a judge of the Court of General Sessions, the Court of Special Sessions, and the New York Court of Common Pleas; Vice-President of the Boar ...

from 1798 to 1801. He died in New York City on December 7, 1829, and was buried in a family vault in

Trinity Church Cemetery The parish of Trinity Church has three separate burial grounds associated with it in New York City. The first, Trinity Churchyard, is located in Lower Manhattan at 74 Trinity Place, near Wall Street and Broadway. Alexander Hamilton, Albert Gal ...

Legacy

Among the new proprietors of large tracts of land in Northern New York that had been part of the Macomb Purchase (1791), Richard Harison purchased great lots 6 and 9 in what would become Franklin County. These land owners initially named their sections after themselves, but "Harison" eventually became the Town of

Malone Malone is an Irish surname. From the Irish "''Mael Eóin''", the name means a servant or a disciple of Saint John. People * Gilla Críst Ua Máel Eóin (died 1127), historian and Abbot of Clonmacnoise, Ó Maoil Eoin * Adrian Malone (1937–2 ...

. In 1808, Harison changed the name of the village he had founded to "Ezraville," after his friend

Ezra L'Hommedieu Ezra L'Hommedieu (August 30, 1734 – September 27, 1811) was an American lawyer and statesman from Southold, New York in Suffolk County, Long Island. He was a delegate for New York to the Continental Congress (1779 to 1783) and again in 1788. ...

. In 1812, Harison again changed the name of his village, to "Malone," after

Edmond Malone Edmond Malone (4 October 174125 May 1812) was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare. Assured of an income after the death of his father in 1774, Malone was able to give up his law practice for at first p ...

, an Irish Shakespearean scholar. The Harison House is located on Webster Street in Malone, across from the cemetery, and is designated with a New York State historical marker.

Notes

Sources

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 55 and 279; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)

at North County website
Trinity Church burial recordsRichard Harison Papers, 1734-1900, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harison, Richard 1748 births 1829 deaths United States Attorneys for the District of New York New York City Recorders Columbia College (New York) alumni New York (state) Federalists Members of the New York State Assembly Burials at Trinity Church Cemetery People of the Province of New York American people of English descent