William R. Harris (September 26, 1803 – June 19, 1858) was a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1855 to 1858.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Montgomery County, North Carolina Montgomery County is a rural county located in the southern Piedmont of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,751. Its county seat is Troy. History The county was formed in January 1779, by an act of th ...

,Albert D. Marks, "The Supreme Court of Tennessee", Part II, ''The Green Bag'', Volume 5 (1893), p. 180. Harris was brought with his family to Tennessee when his father moved near the Duck River in

Bedford County, Tennessee Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,237. Its county seat is Shelbyville. Bedford County comprises the Shelbyville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also inc ...

, thereafter moving to Franklin County. His father was poor, and Harris had to work to help maintain the family. He was educated at the Carrick Academy in

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

in the intervals between the making of crops. After he came of age and was appointed a deputy-sheriff of Franklin County, he studied at night, and kept up with his class in Carrick Academy. In 1825 he began to read law under Isaac Cook at Lawrenceburg, gaining admission to practice in 1827. He opened an office in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Henry County, Tennessee Henry County is a county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and is considered part of West Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,199. Its county seat is Paris. The county is named for the Virgin ...

. Harris was one of the founders of a community there, and where he "rapidly acquired an extensive and lucrative practice".

Judicial service

In December 1836, at the age of 33, Harris was appointed by Governor

Newton Cannon Newton Cannon (May 22, 1781 – September 16, 1841) was an American politician who served as the eighth Governor of Tennessee from 1835 to 1839. He also served several terms in the United States House of Representatives, from 1814 to 1817, and fr ...

to a seat on the Tennessee Ninth Circuit court vacated by the resignation of Judge John W. Cook. Harris was afterward elected to the position by the Legislature, and served until 1845. He then resumed private practice, moving to Memphis in 1851. Following the death of Judge William B. Turley, he was appointed to that seat on the Common Law and Chancery Court, and was afterward elected to that office.serving from 1851 to 1855. In August 1855, Governor

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 ...

appointed Harris to a seat on the state supreme court vacated by the resignation of

Archibald W. O. Totten Archibald W. O. Totten (November 25, 1809 – 1867) was a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1850 to 1855. Born in Overton County, Tennessee, his family moved to Gibson County in the west of the state when Totten was young.Albert D. Mar ...

. Harris was elected to the seat on December 1, 1855, for the full constitutional term, but his service was cut short by his death.

Personal life

One of his younger brothers,

Isham G. Harris Isham Green Harris (February 10, 1818July 8, 1897) was an American politician who served as the 16th governor of Tennessee from 1857 to 1862, and as a U.S. senator from 1877 until his death. He was the state's first governor from West Tennessee. ...

, was Governor of Tennessee 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 ...

, and thereafter represented his State for several terms in the United States Senate. Harris was killed by the explosion of the boilers of the Mississippi River steamboat ''

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

'', bound from New Orleans to Memphis. Upon his death, the duty of appointing his successor fell to his brother, Isham G., who was Governor at that time.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, William R. 1803 births 1858 deaths People from Montgomery County, North Carolina U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Justices of the Tennessee Supreme Court