Ira Harris
| Ira Harris | |
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United States Senator from New York |
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In office March 4, 1861 – March 4, 1867 |
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| Preceded by | William H. Seward |
| Succeeded by | Roscoe Conkling |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 31, 1802 Charleston, New York |
| Died | December 2, 1875 (aged 73) Albany, New York |
| Political party | Whig, Republican |
| Profession | Lawyer, Politician, Judge, Professor |
Ira Harris (May 31, 1802 – December 2, 1875) was an American jurist and senator from New York. He was also a friend of Abraham Lincoln's.
Harris grew up on a farm, and graduated from Union College in 1824. He then studied law in Albany and, in 1828, was admitted to the bar.
He was a Whig/Anti-Rent member of the New York State Assembly (Albany Co.) in 1845 and 1846. He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1846 and a member of the New York State Senate (3rd D.) in 1847.
He was a justice of the New York Supreme Court (3rd D.) from 1847 to 1859 and was, ex officio, a judge of the New York Court of Appeals in 1850 and 1858.
In February 1861, Harris was elected a U.S. Senator from New York to succeed William H. Seward who did not seek re-election, but would be appointed U.S. Secretary of State by Abraham Lincoln. In the U.S. Senate, Harris served on the Committees on Foreign Relations, the Judiciary, and the Select Joint Committee on the Southern States. Although he supported the administration in the main, he did not fear to express his opposition to all measures, however popular at the time, that did not appear to him either wise or just. He visited Lincoln at the White House often and grew a friendship with him. He was also a good friend of his predecessor in the Senate, William H. Seward.
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