Richard Almgill Harrison (April 8, 1824July 30, 1904) was an American politician and jurist 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 ...

. He was elected to succeed

Thomas Corwin Thomas Corwin (July 29, 1794 – December 18, 1865), also known as Tom Corwin, The Wagon Boy, and Black Tom was a politician from the state of Ohio. He represented Ohio in both houses of Congress and served as the 15th governor of Ohio and the 2 ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

, serving from 1861 to 1863. He was several times considered for a seat on the

Supreme Court of Ohio The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...

, but declined the honor. Harrison was born in

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England; it is known for its racecourse and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological finds indicate there was a settlement in Thirsk aro ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on April 8, 1824 to Robert and Mary (Almgill) Harrison. His father was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister and mechanic. In 1832, the family immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, settling first in

Waynesville, Ohio Waynesville is a village in Wayne Township, Warren County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,669 at the 2020 census. It is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The village, located at the crossroads of U.S. Route 42 and State Rout ...

and later in Springfield. Harrison attended Ohio public schools and graduated from Springfield High School. While a student, he worked as a

printer's devil A printer's devil was a young apprentice in a printing establishment who performed a number of tasks, such as mixing tubs of ink and fetching type. Notable writers including Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Ambrose Bierce, Bret Harte, and Mar ...

in the office of the ''Springfield Republic'', an influential Whig paper. Following graduation, he studied law successively under William A. Rodgers and William White before entering the

Cincinnati Law School The University of Cincinnati College of Law is the law school of the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. History The University of Cincinnati College of Law was founded in 1833 as the Cincinnati Law School. It is the fourth oldest conti ...

. Upon completion of the six-month course of study, he was admitted to the Ohio

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

on April 8, 1846. In 1847, he married Maria Louisa Warner, daughter of Henry Warner, with whom he had seven children. Harrison practiced law at

London, Ohio London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. The population was 10,279 at t ...

from 1846 to 1873, and afterwards at Columbus. At first a Whig, he joined the nascent Republican Party and was elected to the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

from Madison County in 1857 by a majority of 24 votes. In 1859, he was elected to the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of t ...

. His senatorial term coincided with the

1860 United States presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 6, 1860. The Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin emerged victorious in a four-way race. With an electoral majority composed only of Northern states ...

and the ensuing

secession Secession is the formal withdrawal of a group from a Polity, political entity. The process begins once a group proclaims an act of secession (such as a declaration of independence). A secession attempt might be violent or peaceful, but the goal i ...

crisis that preceded the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. During the January 1861 session of the legislature, Harrison introduced resolutions in support of the Union. In line with the conservative position staked by

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

, he denounced secession as "revolutionary," disclaimed any intent to interfere with

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

in the states, and called for the repeal of " enactments ... conflicting with, or rendering less efficient, the Constitution or laws of the United States." He was one of the party that received

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

at Columbus during the latter's journey to

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

in February 1861. He supported the

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

that sought unsuccessfully to negotiate a compromise to avert

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. Following the appointment of Thomas Corwin as U.S. minister to Mexico, Harrison was nominated for Corwin's vacant seat in the U.S. House of Representatives by the Union Party, a coalition of

War Democrat War Democrats in American politics of the 1860s were members of the Democratic Party who supported the Union and rejected the policies of the Copperheads, or Peace Democrats. The War Democrats demanded a more aggressive policy toward the Co ...

s and conservative Republicans. He narrowly defeated Aaron Harlan, the candidate of the

Radical Republicans The Radical Republicans were a political faction within the Republican Party originating from the party's founding in 1854—some six years before the Civil War—until the Compromise of 1877, which effectively ended Reconstruction. They ca ...

, and served the remainder of Corwin's term. He attended the special session of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

that convened July 4, 1861. He was not a candidate for re-election in

1862 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – Second French intervention in Mexico, French intervention in Mexico: Second French Empire, French, Spanish and British ...

, and was succeeded by

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 ...

Samuel S. Cox. In October 1864, he denied rumors that he would vote for the Democratic nominee for president, General

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 186 ...

, and declared his support for Lincoln's re-election. After the war, Harrison was several times considered for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court. He was a Democratic candidate for that office in 1870, but was defeated along with the rest of the Democratic state ticket. He was offered an appointment to the bench by

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Joseph B. Foraker Joseph Benson Foraker (July 5, 1846 – May 10, 1917) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served as the 37th governor of Ohio from 1886 to 1890 and as a United States senator from Ohio from 1897 until 1909. Foraker was ...

in 1887, but declined. In 1893, Harrison was again considered for a judicial appointment, this time to the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

; on this occasion, he was passed over due to his advanced age. In his later career, Harrison won great acclaim for his work as a corporate attorney specializing in railways. His work in the Boesel Railroad Cases (1872) established his national reputation as an authority on constitutional issues. He praised President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

and

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

Philander C. Knox in connection with the Northern Securities case, and predicted the court would find in favor of the administration. he died in Columbus Ohio in 1904 at 80

References

External links

* 1824 births 1904 deaths Members of the Ohio House of Representatives Presidents of the Ohio Senate Members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio Ohio lawyers People from Thirsk Lawyers from Columbus, Ohio People from London, Ohio British emigrants to the United States Ohio Unionists University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni Unionist Party members of the United States House of Representatives Politicians from Columbus, Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly {{Ohio-Representative-stub