Michael Daniel Harter (April 6, 1846 – February 22, 1896) was an American banker and politician. He served two terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

during the 1890s.

Biography

Born in 1846 in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

, Harter attended public schools. He was a grandson of Robert Moore, who served as a

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

during 1817–1821. Harter engaged in mercantile pursuits and banking. He established the Harter Bank in 1866. In 1869, he moved to

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in Richland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 47,534 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located approximately from Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, Columbus via Interstate 71, it i ...

, and at the age of 23 became treasurer and manager of the Aultman&Taylor Company upon its organization. He also established the Isaac Harter Milling Company in

Fostoria, Ohio Fostoria (, ) is a city located at the convergence of Hancock, Seneca, and Wood counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 13,046 at the 2020 Census, slightly down from 13,441 at the 2010 Census. It is ap ...

, the largest producer of flour in the state. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, Harter was elected to the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses, spanning March 1891 to March 1895. In Congress, he was strongly in favor of the

gold standard A gold standard is a backed currency, monetary system in which the standard economics, economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the ...

, and against free silver, views in opposition to his own party. His views won out during the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States. It began in February 1893 and officially ended eight months later. The Panic of 1896 followed. It was the most serious economic depression in history until the Great Depression of ...

, when Congress, in special session, repealed the

Sherman Silver Purchase Act The Sherman Silver Purchase Act was a United States federal law enacted on July 14, 1890, which increased the amount of silver the government was required to purchase on a recurrent monthly basis to 4.5 million ounces, roughly the entirety of the ...

. Harter declined to be a candidate for renomination to a third term. Harter was married to Mary L. Brown in 1869, and they had three sons and two daughters. After serving in Congress, he moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

but spent his summers in Mansfield. Harter died by suicide in Fostoria in February 1896. His wife and children, except one daughter, survived him. He was interred in Mansfield Cemetery.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harter, Michael Anthony 1846 births 1896 deaths 1890s suicides American Lutherans Politicians from Canton, Ohio Politicians from Mansfield, Ohio Suicides by firearm in Ohio American politicians who died by suicide 19th-century Lutherans Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives