Benjamin Gwinn Harris

Benjamin Gwinn Harris

Benjamin Gwinn Harris (born December 13, 1805 in Leonardtown , Saint Mary's County , Maryland , †  April 4, 1895 ibid) was an American politician . Between 1863 and 1867 he represented the state of Maryland in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Benjamin Harris attended Yale College . After a subsequent law degree at Cambridge Law School in Massachusetts and his admission to the bar in 1840, he began to work in this profession. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . He served in the Maryland House of Representatives in 1833 and 1836 . In the congressional elections of 1862 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the fifth constituency of Maryland , where he succeeded Francis Thomas on March 4, 1863 . After re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1867 .

Harris had been against the secession of the southern states , but was considered a secret supporter or at least a sympathizer of the Confederation . On April 9, 1864, he was reprimanded by the US House of Representatives for treasonous actions. In May 1865 there was even a court martial against him for hiding two Confederate soldiers. He was sentenced to three years in prison. He was also forbidden from ever holding office in the state again. But President Andrew Johnson immediately pardoned him. Thus, Harris could remain in Congress until the end of the legislature on March 3, 1867. Since 1865, the work of Congress has been overshadowed by the conflict between the Republican Party and President Johnson, which culminated in a narrowly failed impeachment trial. Harris witnessed these events as a congressman.

After his time in the US House of Representatives, Benjamin Harris withdrew from politics. He died on April 4, 1895 on his Ellenborough estate near Leonardtown, where he was also buried.

Web links

• Benjamin Gwinn Harris in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Benjamin Gwinn Harris in the database of Find a Grave (English)