George Chesley Harris (July 14, 1879 – January 28, 1954) was a merchant and politician in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. He represented Burin in the

Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly () is the Unicameralism, unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Bu ...

from 1923 to 1924. The son of Samuel Harris, a merchant and ship owner, and Mary Forsey, he was born in

Grand Bank Grand Bank or 'Grand Banc' as the first French settlers pronounced it, is a small rural town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, with a population of 2,580. It is located on the southern tip or "toe" of the Burin Peninsula (al ...

and was educated there and at

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Mount Allison was the first university in the British Empire to award a baccal ...

in New Brunswick. After completing a business course, Harris joined his father's export firm. In 1914, he became managing director for the company. The company expanded rapidly but a decline in market conditions and changes in government regulations led to the firm declaring bankruptcy in 1923. Harris began work in another of his father's companies, Western Marine Insurance Company, later becoming its president. In 1904, he married Charlotte "Lottie" Pitts Pratt, the sister of poet E. J. Pratt. Harris was elected to the Newfoundland assembly in 1923 as a

Liberal-Labour-Progressive The Newfoundland People's Party was a political party in the Dominion of Newfoundland before it joined Canada. The party was created by Attorney-General Edward Patrick Morris in 1907, when he split from the ruling Liberal Party to found his ow ...

member. In 1924, his cousin

Albert Hickman Albert Edgar Hickman (August 2, 1875 – February 9, 1943) was the seventeenth Prime Minister of Dominion of Newfoundland, Newfoundland. Biography Albert Hickman was born in Grand Bank on August 2, 1875. He married Mary Louise Laurie on Decem ...

became premier and Harris transferred his support to the new government leader. He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1924. Harris later campaigned in support of union with Canada. He was named Chief Returning Officer for the Canadian federal riding of

Burin—Burgeo Burin—Burgeo was a federal electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1949 to 1979. This riding was created in 1949 when Newfoundland joined the Canadian Confederation ...

in 1949 and served in that position again for the federal election held in 1953. His former home, the George C. Harris House, was designated a Registered Heritage Structure in 1993.

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* 1879 births 1954 deaths Newfoundland People's Party MHAs Dominion of Newfoundland people 20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly {{Newfoundland-politician-stub