William G. Harris (November 27, 1849 – November 29, 1924) was an American businessman and politician from New York.

Life

Harris was born on November 27, 1849, in

Hope, New York Hope is a town in Hamilton County, New York, United States. The population was 403 at the 2010 census. First settled in 1790 and established as a town in 1818, Hope is located in the southeastern corner of the county and is northwest of Schene ...

, the son of William Harris and Susan Wadsworth. His paternal grandfather immigrated to America from Scotland. Harris served in 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 ...

as a drummer. He later moved to Northville, where he worked in the lumber business. He was also vice-president of the

Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad The Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville Railroad (FJ&G) was formerly a 132-mile steam engine and electric interurban railroad that connected its namesake towns in east central New York State to Schenectady, New York. It had a successful and profita ...

and president of the Northville bank. In 1885, he opened a hotel three miles north of Northville that proved popular with tourists. Harris served as

town supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

of Hope for two years and

town clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a To ...

for five. In 1899, he was elected to 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 ...

as 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 ...

, representing

Fulton Fulton may refer to: People * Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship * Fulton (surname) Given name * Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer * Fult ...

and Hamilton Counties. He served in the Assembly in

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

and

1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...

. In 1872, Harris married Alice J. Russell of Hope. Their children were Samuel, Leona, and Susan. He was an active member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

. Harris died at home on November 29, 1924. He was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Northville.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
'
William Harris
at ''

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'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, William 1849 births 1924 deaths People from Hamilton County, New York People from Northampton, Fulton County, New York People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Businesspeople from New York (state) 19th-century American railroad executives 20th-century American railroad executives American bank presidents 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly American Freemasons Burials in New York (state)