Elliott B. Norris (June 25, 1845 – March 20, 1918) was an American farmer and politician from New York.
Life
Norris was born on June 25, 1845, in
Sodus, New York, the son of farmer Rufus F. Norris and Louise Kingsley. Other than a brief period from 1867 to 1868, where he worked as a merchant in
Greenville, Pennsylvania
Greenville is a borough with home rule status in northwestern Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located along the Shenango River, it lies roughly 80 miles from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. It is 1.89 square miles in area, and had ...
, he lived in Sodus his whole life.
Norris attended
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College is a Private university, private, Conservatism in the United States, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Women were admi ...
in Michigan and
Eastman Business College. He worked as a farmer in Sodus.
He was a larger breeder of thoroughbred
Shorthorn cattle an extensive fruit grower. He was a member of the fruit firm Case & Norris. He was also very involved in the
Granger movement. He was a charter member of the Sodus Grange and was master for 16 years. He was also lecturer and master of the Wayne County Grange. He was elected overseer of the State Grange in 1894 and, in , he was elected master of the State Grange, holding office until 1906. As master, he helped grow the State Grange and instituted several new policies, including having a Grange Day at the New York State Fair, establishing the Farmers' and Trader Life Insurance Co., and offering a scholarship for
Cornell University
Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...
. In his eight years as master, the State Grange gained 26,000 members and expanded into three more counties.
In 1890, Norris 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 Ass ...
as a
Democrat, representing the
Wayne County 1st District. He sat in the Assembly in
1891
Events January
* January 1
** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence.
**Germany takes formal possession of its new African territories.
* January 4 – The Earl of Zetland issues a ...
.
In the
1898 New York state election
The 1898 New York state election was held on November 8, 1898, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, the Secretary of State, the state comptroller, the attorney general, the state treasurer and the state engineer, as well as al ...
, he was the Democratic candidate for
New York State Treasurer The New York State Treasurer was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York (state), New York between 1776 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities ...
. He lost the election to
John P. Jaeckel.
In 1868, Norris married Georgianna Chipman of Wolcott. Their children were Mabel I., Floy E., Amy L., Louise E. and Mark.
Georgianna was an active member in the Grange movement, as master of the Sodus Grange and secretary of the Wayne County Grange.
He was a
freemason
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
and a member of the
Presbyterian Church
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...
.
Norris died at home on March 20, 1918. He was buried in Sodus Rural Cemetery.
References
External links
*
The Political Graveyard'
Elliott B. Norrisat ''
Find a Grave''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norris, Elliott B.
1845 births
1918 deaths
People from Sodus, New York
Hillsdale College alumni
Eastman Business College alumni
Farmers from New York (state)
National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry
Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly
American Freemasons
Presbyterians from New York (state)
19th-century members of the New York State Legislature