Stephen Ross Harris (May 22, 1824 – January 15, 1905) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

from 1895 to 1897. He was an uncle of Ebenezer Byron Finley.

Biography

Born seven miles west of Massillon, Ohio, Harris attended the common and select schools,

Washington College Washington College is a private liberal arts college in Chestertown, Maryland. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782. George Washington supported the founding of the college by consenting to have the "College at Chester" na ...

(Pennsylvania), Norwalk (Ohio) Seminary, and Western Reserve College, then at

Hudson, Ohio Hudson is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,110 at the 2020 census. It is a suburban community in the Akron metropolitan statistical area and the larger Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, ...

. He studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1849 and commenced practice in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

. He moved to

Bucyrus, Ohio Bucyrus ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Crawford County, located in northern Ohio approximately 28 miles (45 km) west of Mansfield and southeast of Toledo. The population was 11,684 at the 2020 census. The ...

, the same year and continued the practice of law. He became law partner of Josiah Scott from 1850 to Scott's death in 1879, except that time Scott was on the

Ohio Supreme Court The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as 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 ...

. He served as mayor of Bucyrus 1852, 1853, 1861, and 1862. Deputy United States marshal in 1861. He served as president of the

Ohio State Bar Association The Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Ohio. History OSBA was founded on March 6, 1880 when the Cleveland Bar Association issued a call other Ohio local bar associations to meet at Case Hall in Cle ...

in 1893 and 1894. Harris was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

to the Fifty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1895 - March 4, 1897). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1896 to the Fifty-fifth Congress. He engaged in the practice of law in

, until his death there January 15, 1905. He was interred in Oakwood Cemetery. Harris was married September 15, 1853 to Mary Jane Monnett, who died in 1888, with two sons and two daughters surviving her.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Stephen Ross 1824 births 1905 deaths People from Massillon, Ohio People from Bucyrus, Ohio Mayors of places in Ohio Ohio lawyers Case Western Reserve University alumni Washington & Jefferson College alumni United States Marshals 19th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio