Broughton Harris (August 16, 1822—January 19, 1899) was a

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

businessman and political figure. He was Secretary and Treasurer of

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...

, and became one of the Runaway Officials of 1851.

Early life

Harris was born in

Chesterfield, New Hampshire Chesterfield is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,552 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Spofford and West Chesterfield. Chesterfield is home to Spofford Lake, Chesterfield Gorge Natu ...

on August 16, 1822. He was the son of Wilder Harris and Harriet ( Davies) Harris. He attended Chesterfield Academy and

Kimball Union Academy Kimball Union Academy is a private boarding school located in New Hampshire. Founded in 1813, it is the 22nd oldest boarding school in the United States. The academy's mission is to "create a deep sense of belonging for every member of our commu ...

, and graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

in 1845. In college he was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

and Alpha Delta Phi.

Career

Harris studied law briefly before embarking on a career as a journalist as editor of ''The Vermont Phoenix'' and editor and publisher of ''The Semi-Weekly Eagle'', both Whig party newspapers. From 1847 to 1850 Harris was

Register of Probate A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

for the

Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Mar ...

District.

Secretary of Utah Territory

In 1850,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

appointed Harris as Secretary and Treasurer of the newly organized

. Harris and two other federal appointees were unable to work cooperatively with territorial Governor

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...

, and left the territory without replacements being named. After an investigation determined that Harris and the other officials had fled the territory without cause, the Fillmore administration ordered the men to return to their posts in the Territory or surrender their commissions. Harris and the others refused and were thus dropped from the territorial government. Harris was subsequently offered appointment as Secretary and

acting Governor An acting governor is a person who acts in the role of governor. In Commonwealth jurisdictions where the governor is a vice-regal position, the role of "acting governor" may be filled by a lieutenant governor (as in most Australian states) or an ...

of New Mexico Territory, which he declined.

American Civil War

Harris settled in

Brattleboro, Vermont Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is located about ...

. He became 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 ...

when the party was founded, and he served in the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

from 1860 to 1862. Harris was also one of Vermont's Delegates to the

Peace Conference of 1861 The Peace Conference of 1861 was a meeting of 131 leading American politicians in February 1861, at the Willard's Hotel in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the American Civil War. The purpose of the conference was to avoid, if possible, the seces ...

, which unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the start of 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 ...

Later career

Harris became a partner in Harris Brothers & Company, one of the largest

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

construction corporations in the country, and he was also President of the Brattleboro Savings Bank. In 1884 Harris was a Delegate to the Republican National Convention.

Personal life

In 1851 Harris married Sarah Buell Hollister, daughter of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

businessman Edwin M. Hollister. Sarah's nephew was banker and real estate investor Walter E. Maynard. They honeymooned while en route to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

for Harris to begin his duties as territorial Secretary. Sarah authored a journal of her 1851 honeymoon trip to Salt Lake City, her experiences in Utah Territory, and the return trip after her husband left his position as territorial Secretary. This journal was later published as ''An Unwritten Chapter of Salt Lake''. Together, they were the parents of a daughter: * Mary Buell Harris, who married attorney and writer John Seymour Wood. Broughton Harris died in Brattleboro on January 19, 1899. He was buried at Brattleboro's Prospect Hill Cemetery.Marjorie Valliere Howe
Gravestone listings of Prospect Hill Cemetery, Brattleboro, VT
2000, page 141

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Broughton 1822 births 1899 deaths People from Chesterfield, New Hampshire People from Brattleboro, Vermont Dartmouth College alumni Vermont Whigs 19th-century American politicians Vermont Republicans Vermont state senators People of Vermont in the American Civil War Politics of Utah Territory Utah War Utah Territory officials American bank presidents 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people)