Richard Harison (January 12, 1747 (O.S.)He was born on January 12, 1747, in the then used

Julian Calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematics, Greek mathematicians and Ancient Greek astronomy, as ...

; this date corresponds to January 23, 1748, in the

Gregorian Calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years di ...

which has been used in America since 1752. in New York City – December 7, 1829) was an American lawyer and

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

He was the son of George Harison (son of Francis Harison) and Jane (Nicholls) Harison. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from

King's College King's College or The King's College refers to two higher education institutions in the United Kingdom: *King's College, Cambridge, a constituent of the University of Cambridge *King's College London, a constituent of the University of London It ca ...

in 1764. He married Maria Jones, and their son was George Folliott Harison (1776–1846), the namesake of " Harison's Yellow Rose". He practiced law in New York City in partnership with Alexander Hamilton. On September 4, 1783, Harison married Frances Duncan Ludlow (1766–1797; daughter of

George Duncan Ludlow George Duncan Ludlow (29 September 1734 – 13 November 1808) was a lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney ...

), and they had four children. Harison was Deputy Grand Master of Masons of New York from 1786 to 1788. He was a delegate to the New York Convention which adopted the United States Constitution in 1788, and voted for adoption. He was a member of 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 Assem ...

in 1788 and 1788–89. In 1789, Harison was appointed by President George Washington as the first

United States Attorney for the District of New York {{Short description, None The U.S. Attorney for the District of New York was from 1789 to 1815 the chief federal law enforcement officer in the federal judicial District of New York, which at that time was coterminous with the whole State of New Yor ...

. He remained in office until 1801, and was also Recorder of New York City from 1798 to 1801. He died in New York City on December 7, 1829, and was buried in a family vault in

Trinity Church Cemetery The parish of Trinity Church has three separate burial grounds associated with it in New York City. The first, Trinity Churchyard, is located in Lower Manhattan at 74 Trinity Place, near Wall Street and Broadway. Alexander Hamilton, Albert Ga ...

Legacy

Among the new proprietors of large tracts of land in Northern New York that had been part of the Macomb Purchase (1791), Richard Harison purchased great lots 6 and 9 in what would become Franklin County. These land owners initially named their sections after themselves, but "Harison" eventually became the Town of Malone. In 1808, Harison changed the name of the village he had founded to "Ezraville," after his friend Ezra L'Hommedieu. In 1812, Harison again changed the name of his village, to "Malone," after Edmond Malone, an Irish Shakespearean scholar. The Harison House is located on Webster Street in Malone, across from the cemetery, and is designated with a New York State historical marker.

Notes

Sources

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 55 and 279; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)

at North County website
Trinity Church burial recordsRichard Harison Papers, 1734-1900, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harison, Richard 1748 births 1829 deaths United States Attorneys for the District of New York New York City Recorders Columbia College (New York) alumni New York (state) Federalists Members of the New York State Assembly Burials at Trinity Church Cemetery People of the Province of New York American people of English descent