Benjamin Winslow Harris (November 10, 1823 – February 7, 1907) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and judge from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. He was the father of Robert Orr Harris. Born in

East Bridgewater, Massachusetts East Bridgewater is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 14,440 at the 2020 census. It is also a part of Massachusetts' 8th congressional district, of which it is represented by Stephen Lynch. History The ...

, Harris pursued an academic course at

Phillips Academy, Andover ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

, graduating in 1847. He graduated from Dane Law School of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1849. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1850, commencing practice in East Bridgewater. He served in the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

in 1857, was a member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

in 1858, was district attorney for the southeastern district of

from 1858 to 1866 and was collector of

internal revenue The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...

for the second district of

from 1866 to 1873. Harris was elected 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 ...

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 1872, serving from 1873 to 1883, not being a candidate for renomination in 1882. There, he served as chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs from 1881 to 1883. Afterwards, he resumed practicing law in

, and was judge of probate for

Plymouth County, Massachusetts Plymouth County is a county in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, south of Boston. As of the 2020 census, the population was 530,819. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton. In 1685, the county was created by the Plymouth General Court, t ...

, from 1887 to 1906. Harris died in East Bridgewater on February 7, 1907, and was interred in Central Cemetery in East Bridgewater.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Benjamin W. 1823 births 1907 deaths Phillips Academy alumni Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Republican Party Massachusetts state senators County district attorneys in Massachusetts Massachusetts state court judges People from East Bridgewater, Massachusetts Massachusetts lawyers Harvard Law School alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges