Draft:John Harris (judge)

John Harris (October 13, 1769 – April 23, 1845)^[1]^[2] was a justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court from 1823 to 1833.

Judge Harris was born at Harvard, Mass.; graduated at Harvard in 1791; was admitted to the bar in 1794 and commenced the practice of the law at Hopkinton; served as postmaster of that town from 1810 to 1825, and as judge of probate of the county of Hillsborough from 1812 till the organization of the county of Merrimac in 1823. 1° 1816 he was tendered the commission , of justice of the superior court, but declined it. In 1817 he accepted the appointment of county solicitor and served for six years. In 1823 he was appointed to the bench of the Superior Court and served there until 1833 when he was removed from it by the executive on a legislative address, but was at once placed in the post of probate judge of the county of Merrimac, and served in that office until he reached the constitutional limit of age, being 70 years. Judge Harris was not an advocate and he had none of the arts by which popular favor is won. His judicial honors had been bestowed upon him by his party opponents, which are evidence of his ability and integrity, but he had angered his townsmen by injudicious utterances and by casting his vote, as chairman of the legislative committee, (being the casting vote in favor of Concord for the location of the state capitol, and against his own town of Hopkinton). As a judge of the Superior Court he failed to inspire confidence in others, because he lacked confidence in himself. His removal was a very harsh proceeding, but his integrity and ability were recognized by his appointment to another position better suited to his inclinations and his powers. On December 20, 1820, he, with Charles H. Atherton, were named a committee to revise the probate laws of the state, a work which they performed so successfully that they have been scarcely changed since. He died at Hopkinton.^[2]

Son of Deacon Richard and Lydia (Atherton) Harris ; born, Harvard, Massachusetts, October 13, 1769 ; Harvard College, 1791 ; admitted, 1794 ; practiced, Hopkinton ; died there, April 23, 1845.
Upon his graduation from college Mr. Harris began his legal studies under Simeon Strong, of Amherst, and completed them under Timothy Bigelow of Groton, Massachusetts. Near the close of 1794 he fixed his residence in Hopkinton, which then and for years afterwards was about equal in population and importance to Concord. He was postmaster of the town from 1810 to 1825, and Judge of Probate for the county of Hillsborough from 1812 till the organization of the county of Merrimac in 1823. In 1816 a commission as Justice of the Superior Court was tendered him, but he declined it. In 1817 he accepted the appointment of county solicitor, and acted under it for six years. In 1823 he was transferred to the bench of the Superior Court, and sat there till 1833, when he was removed from it by the Executive on a legislative address, but was at once replaced in the post of Judge of Probate (for the county of Merrimac), and there served until he reached the constitutional limit of seventy years of age.
These various important public trusts, which covered so large a portion of his active life, are evidence of his ability and integrity. They were bestowed by party opponents, and upon one who apparently never possessed the least of those arts by which popular favor is won. Judge Harris had angered the majority of his townsmen by injudicious comparisons between his own church and those which they attended; and still more deeply when as chairman of a legislative committee to locate the state capital, he gave the casting vote in favor of Concord, and against his own town of Hopkinton. But there is little doubt that in this he was actuated by the highest desire of promoting the public welfare.
He was a well read and balanced lawyer, and a man of good, but not great capacity. He had no facility as an advocate. He appeared to the best advantage when presiding in the Court of Probate. There his services were appreciated and valuable. As a Judge of the Superior Court he lacked confidence in himself, and as a natural consequence he failed to inspire confidence in others. His removal was a harsh proceeding, but was greatly mollified by his immediate appointment to another position of responsibility better suited to his inclination and his powers.
Judge Harris was named, December 23, 1820, with Charles H. Atherton, his register, to revise the probate laws of the State, a work which they performed so successfully that comparatively little change has been found necessary to be made in them since that time.
He was a good farmer, a devoted adherent of the Episcopal Church, and an active and zealous member and officer of the Masonic fraternity. He appears to have been somewhat tenacious of the social distinctions of his time, and was of a rather reserved disposition.
His wife, to whom he was united in 1799, was Mary, daughter of Eliphalet Poor of Hampstead. They had four children, a son and three daughters, but no lineal descendant of Judge Harris now survives.^[1]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b Charles Henry Bell, The Bench and Bar of New Hampshire (1894), p. 85-86.
^ ^a ^b Clark Bell, ed., The Medico-legal Journal, Vol. 18 (1900), Supplement, p. 121-122.