Robert Harris (Pennsylvania)

Robert Harris ( born September 5, 1768 in Harris Ferry, Pennsylvania, † September 3, 1851 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ) was an American politician. Between 1823 and 1827 he represented the State of Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

The one born in Harris Ferry, now Harrisburg Robert Harris was a cousin of Congressman John Harris (1760-1824) from the state of New York. He grew up on a farm and attended the common schools. In the following years he was involved in various activities in Pennsylvania. He worked on the construction of a bridge over the Susquehanna River and was one of the founders of the Harrisburg Bank. He was also active in the road, where he surveyed, among others, the road between Chambersburg and Pittsburgh. He was also involved in the determination of the location for the Capitol in Harrisburg. During the British - American War of 1812 Harris was paymaster in the U.S. Army. Politically, he was a member of the Democratic- Republican Party. In the 1820s he joined the movement to the future President Andrew Jackson.

In the congressional elections of 1822 Harris was in the sixth constituency of Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington DC chosen, where he became the successor of Thomas Jones Rogers on March 4, 1823. After a re-election as a Jacksonian Democrat, he was able to complete in Congress until March 3, 1827 two legislative sessions. These were characterized by the fierce debate between supporters and opponents of Andrew Jackson.

After the end of his time in the U.S. House of Representatives Robert Harris worked as Prothonotary in Dauphin County. Otherwise, he devoted himself to his private affairs. He died on September 3, 1851 in Harrisburg.