Ralph Chandler Harrison (October 22, 1833 – July 18, 1918) was an American attorney and Associate Justice of the

Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...

from December 20, 1890, to January 5, 1903.

Early life

On October 22, 1838, Harrison was born in Cornwall, Connecticut. He attended

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

, graduating with a B.A. in 1853. After graduation, he taught mathematics and ancient languages at Armenia Seminary, New York, from 1853 to 1856, and also obtained a M.A. degree at Wesleyan in 1856. In 1857, he was elected to the

Connecticut State Legislature The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...

. He then studied at Albany Law School, where he was awarded a LL.B. in 1859.

Career

Harrison's law school classmate, David D. Colton, encouraged Harrison to move to California and in 1859 the two formed a law partnership in San Francisco. In 1868, Harrison joined with

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

-trained attorney, John R. Jarboe, in the firm of Jarboe & Harrison. In August 1890, Harrison won the nomination of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

for Supreme Court justice, and was elected to a 12-year term. In November 1902, Harrison sought a second term but lost the Republican nomination to

Frank M. Angellotti Frank Marion Angellotti (September 4, 1861 – May 23, 1932), was an American attorney who served as the 17th Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court from January 5, 1915 to November 1921, and as an associate justice from December 11, 1 ...

. In December 1903, Harrison was named a commissioner of the California Supreme Court, replacing John Haynes. In 1905, when the new Court of Appeal was established, Governor

George Pardee George Cooper Pardee (July 25, 1857 – September 1, 1941) was an American doctor of medicine and politician. As the 21st Governor of California, holding office from January 7, 1903, to January 9, 1907, Pardee was the second native-born Californ ...

named Harrison as the Presiding Justice of the First District. After stepping down from the bench in 1908, Harrison returned to private practice. He continued as trustee of the public and law libraries of San Francisco. In October 1917, Harrison and his wife (Ella Spencer Reid) visited Carmel-by-the-Sea and stayed at the

La Playa Hotel The La Playa Hotel, also known as the "Grande Dame of Carmel," is a historic two-story hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, once owned by artist Chris Jorgensen. The building is an example of Mediterranean Revival architecture. The building qua ...

for a few weeks. During this visit they bought the block between Camino Real and Casanova Street, south of Ninth Avenue.

Death

Harrison died after a brief illness, at the age of 84, on July 18, 1918, at his apartment in San Francisco.

Bar and civic activities

Harrison was a member of the San Francisco Bar Association, and served as a trustee of the San Francisco Law Library in 1871. In January 1884, Harrison was elected a trustee of the

California Academy of Sciences The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, California, that is among the largest museums of natural history in the world, housing over 46 million specimens. The Academy began in 1853 ...

. In April 1896, he was named president of the board of the

San Francisco Public Library The San Francisco Public Library is the public library system of the city and county of San Francisco. The Main Library is located at Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street. The library system has won several awards, such as ''Library Journals L ...

. The Ralph Chandler

Harrison Memorial Library The Harrison Memorial Library is a historic building designed by architect Bernard Maybeck and built by Michael J. Murphy in 1928. It houses a public library for the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The library provides books, materials a ...

Carmel, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and municipal corporation, incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its n ...

, is named in his honor.

Personal life

Harrison married twice. In July 1865, he married Juliet Lathrop Waite and they had two sons, both of whom became attorneys: Richard Chandler Harrison, who practiced with his father in the firm of Harrison & Harrison; and Robert Waite Harrison, an assistant district attorney. After her death in August 1890, Harrison married again in September 1892 to the younger Ella Spencer Reid in Rye, New York, at the country mansion of her uncle, Whitelaw Reid, later ambassador to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. His wife became involved with several art and literary societies in San Francisco. Harrison was a member of the Bohemian Club in 1872.

References

External links

California Supreme Court Historical Society page on Ralph C. Harrison

In Memoriam

Ralph C. Harrison opinions on the California Supreme Court
Courtlistener.com.
Ralph C. Harrison opinions on the California Court of Appeal
Courtlistener.com.

California State Courts. Retrieved July 19, 2017.

California Court of Appeal, First District.