Carter Harrison, Sr.

Carter Henry Harrison, Sr. (* February 15, 1825 in Lexington, Kentucky, † October 28, 1893 in Chicago, Illinois ) was an American politician. Between 1875 and 1879 he represented the state of Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives; besides, he was twice mayor of Chicago.

Career

Carter Harrison was a second cousin of President William Henry Harrison and a member of the politically significant Harrison family. He enjoyed a private education and then studied until 1825 at Yale College. In the years 1851-1853 he toured Europe. After studying law at Transylvania College in his hometown of Lexington and his 1855 was admitted to the bar, he began practicing in Chicago in this profession. He also worked in the real estate industry. At the same time he proposed as a member of the Democratic Party launched a political career. In 1872 he ran unsuccessfully for Congress yet. Between 1874 and 1876 he was a member of the County Council in Cook County.

In the congressional elections of 1874 Harrison was then in the second electoral district of Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington DC chosen, where he became the successor of Jasper D. Ward on March 4, 1875. After a re-election he was able to complete in Congress until March 3, 1879 two legislative sessions. In 1878 he gave up another candidacy. Between 1879 and 1887, Harrison was the successor of Monroe Heath first mayor of Chicago. In 1884 he applied unsuccessfully for the office of Governor of Illinois.

In the years 1880 and 1884 was Harrison delegate to the Democratic National Conventions relevant. Between 1891 and 1893 he published the newspaper " Chicago Times ". In 1893 he was appointed as successor of Hempstead Washburne again mayor of Chicago. In this time, the World's Columbian Exposition fell. On October 28, 1893 two days before the end of this world exhibition, Carter Harrison was murdered by a man namems Patrick Eugene Prendergast. Because of this attack, the closing ceremonies of the World's Fair was canceled. The assassin was hanged on 13 July 1894. Harrison's son Carter Jr. was also later mayor of Chicago.