William Alexander Harris | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byC. M. Bellc. 1894–1895 | |
| United States Senator fromKansas | |
| In office March 4, 1897 – March 4, 1903 | |
| Preceded by | William A. Peffer |
| Succeeded by | Chester I. Long |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromKansas'sat-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1895 | |
| Preceded by | Lewis Hanback |
| Succeeded by | Richard W. Blue |
| Member of theKansas Senate | |
| In office 1895–1896 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1841-10-29)October 29, 1841 |
| Died | December 20, 1909(1909-12-20) (aged 68) |
| Party | Populist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of America |
| Branch/service |  Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1863 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Battles/wars | |
William Alexander Harris (October 29, 1841 – December 20, 1909) was aUnited States representative andSenator fromKansas.
A son of U.S. CongressmanWilliam Alexander Harris (1805–1864), William Alexander Harris Jr. was born either inLoudoun County, Virginia orLuray, Virginia, while his father was serving in Congress. Harris attended the common schools and later attended and graduated from Columbian College (laterGeorge Washington University),Washington, D.C., in 1859. A year later, he matriculated as part of the third or sophomore class at theVirginia Military Institute on 16 January 1860. Official records reveal that he matriculated from Page County, though he actually had done so from Pike County, Missouri. In a class composed of future notables such as future commanding officer of the Stuart Horse Artillery,Roger Preston Chew, Harris fared well in class standing, graduating early in December, 1861 as 7 of 35.
After a brief stint as drillmaster with an artillery company formed inPage County, Harris was assigned to duty with Col.William N. Pendleton and, in the same month (November 1861) transferred as assistant adjutant general on the staff of GeneralCadmus Wilcox. Promoted to captain in January 1862, Harris resigned from Wilcox's staff in July 1862 and was assigned as a lieutenant and acting ordnance officer in Gen.Daniel Harvey Hill’s division. Promoted to the temporary rank of captain in the spring of 1863, Harris was yet reassigned and named Chief of Ordnance of Gen.Robert E. Rodes’ division. Following the loss at Gettysburg, Harris deserted from the army feeling that further effort was futile. However, some records reveal that he may have had other reasons for leaving the army in that he was denied a transfer to MajorHarry W. Gilmor’s cavalry battalion.
In 1865, Harris and his Page County-native bride, Mary Lionberger, moved to Kansas. Shortly thereafter, Harris was employed as acivil engineer in the construction of theUnion Pacific Railroad until 1868; that year, he moved toLawrence, Kansas. He was appointed agent for the railroad companies in the sale of the Delaware Reservation and other lands, and in 1884 moved toLinwood, Leavenworth County and engaged in agricultural pursuits and stock raising.
Following in his father's footsteps, Harris eventually sought a life in politics. He was elected as aPopulist member to theFifty-third Congress (March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1895) and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1894. He was a member of theKansas Senate in 1895 and 1896, and was elected as a U.S. senator from Kansas (March 4, 1897, to March 4, 1903). He was an unsuccessful candidate for the governorship of Kansas in 1906. Harris is believed to have been the only Confederate veteran ever elected to any office of importance in Kansas.
Resuming his agricultural interests, Harris was extremely popular in the agriculture circles for his raising shorthorn cattle. Retiring from political life, Harris later became the vice president of the Denver, Laramie & Northwestern Railroad. Harris died inChicago at the home of his sister,[1] where he had gone to work with the National Livestock Association, in 1909; interment was in Oak Hill Cemetery,Lawrence, Kansas.
Media related toWilliam Alexander Harris (Kansas politician) at Wikimedia Commons
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David M. Dale | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Kansas 1906 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromKansas's at-large congressional district March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Kansas 1897–1903 Served alongside:Lucien Baker,Joseph R. Burton | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
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| At-large | ||
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| Nullifier | |
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| Know Nothing | |
| Free Soil | |
| Union | |
| Liberal Republican | |
| Readjuster | |
| Populist | |
| Silver or Silver Republican | |
| Nonpartisan League | |
| Farmer–Labor | |
| Other | |
| Independents | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
