William Francis Harrity (October 19, 1850 – April 17, 1912) was an American politician and lawyer. Harrity is best known as chairperson of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

from 1892 to 1896. He also served as

Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania The secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (or "secretary of state") administers the Pennsylvania Department of State of the U.S. state (officially, " commonwealth") of Pennsylvania. The secretary is appointed by the governor subject to co ...

between 1891 through 1895.

Early life and career

William Francis Harrity was born in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

, the son of Michael and Jane A. Harrity, natives of

County Donegal, Ireland County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconnel ...

. He began his education in public schools—graduating from Clarkson Taylor's academy and St. Mary's College. In 1870, Harrity graduated at the top of his class at

La Salle College La Salle College (LSC) (, Demonym: Lasallian) is a boys' secondary school in Hong Kong. It was established in 1932 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Roman Catholic religious teaching order founded by St. John Bapti ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

earning a law degree. He completed one year as a tutor of Latin and mathematics at La Salle while gaining his master of arts degree. On December 27, 1873, Harrity completed the

bar exam A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...

and worked as a lawyer for others and himself until 1884.

Political career

By 1882, Harrity had established himself and his law practice at 608 Chestnut St. in the Philadelphia community.and became the chairman of the City of Philadelphia's Democratic Party executive committee. His leadership attributed to the many Democratic candidates being elected at the local and state level including

Robert E. Pattison Robert Emory Pattison (December 8, 1850August 1, 1904) was an American attorney and politician serving as the 19th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1883 to 1887 and 1891 to 1895. Pattison was the only Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania between ...

as Pennsylvania Governor in 1883. His success led to an appointment a Pennsylvania delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1884 and as Postmaster General for Philadelphia between 1885 and 1889 before he retired his post to become chief executive, and president of the Equitable Trust Company, 624 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. In 1891, Robert E. Pattison won a second term as Pennsylvania Governor, a position he lost in 1887. Upon reelection, Pattison appointed Harrity as his Secretary of State (or Secretary of the Commonwealth Capita of Pennsylvania). In 1896, Harrity once again served as a

delegate Delegate or delegates may refer to: * Delegate, New South Wales, a town in Australia * Delegate (CLI), a computer programming technique * Delegate (American politics), a representative in any of various political organizations * Delegate (United ...

from Pennsylvania to

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

Personal life

Harrity was married with four children. He died at his home in

Overbrook, Philadelphia Overbrook is a neighborhood northwest of West Philadelphia, Philadelphia, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The area's housing ranges from large, old homes to rowhouses to 3- and 4-story apartment buildings. Physical setting The name Overbrook ...

on April 17, 1912.

Honors

* The William F. Harrity School, a public elementary school in Philadelphia, in named in his honor. * In 1891,

James M. Beck James Montgomery Beck (July 9, 1861 – April 12, 1936) was an American lawyer, politician, and author from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served as U.S. Solicitor General and U.S. Representative from ...

entered the law office and formed a partnership with William F. Harrity; Beck would later become the

United States Solicitor General The solicitor general of the United States is the fourth-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice. Elizabeth Prelogar has been serving in the role since October 28, 2021. The United States solicitor general represent ...

References

* O'Grady, Joseph P., ''Irish-Americans and Anglo-American Relations, 1880–1888''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrity, William F. 1850 births 1912 deaths Politicians from Wilmington, Delaware La Salle University alumni Politicians from Philadelphia Secretaries of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Democratic National Committee chairs Pennsylvania Democrats American people of Irish descent 19th-century American politicians