Isham G. Harris
Isham Green Harris (February 10, 1818 – July 8, 1897) was an American politician who served as the 16th governor of Tennessee from 1857 to 1862, and as a U.S. senator from 1877 until his death. He was the state's first governor from West Tennessee. A pivotal figure in the state's history, Harris was considered by his contemporaries the person most responsible for leading Tennessee out of the Union and aligning it with the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Isham G. Harris | |
|---|---|
Photograph of Harris by Mathew Brady | |
| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office January 10, 1895 – March 3, 1895 | |
| Preceded by | Matt W. Ransom |
| Succeeded by | William P. Frye |
| In office March 22, 1893 – January 7, 1895 | |
| Preceded by | Charles F. Manderson |
| Succeeded by | Matt W. Ransom |
| United States Senator from Tennessee | |
| In office March 4, 1877 – July 8, 1897 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Cooper |
| Succeeded by | Thomas B. Turley |
| 16th Governor of Tennessee | |
| In office November 3, 1857 – March 12, 1862 | |
| Preceded by | Andrew Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Johnson as Military Governor |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 9th district | |
| In office March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853 | |
| Preceded by | Lucien B. Chase |
| Succeeded by | Emerson Etheridge |
| Member of the Tennessee Senate | |
| In office 1847–1849 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 10, 1818 Franklin County, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | July 8, 1897 (aged 79) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. 35°07′19.0″N 90°01′38.7″W |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Martha Mariah Travis |
| Profession | Merchant, Attorney |
| Signature | |
Harris rose to prominence in state politics in the late 1840s when he campaigned against the anti-slavery initiatives of northern Whigs. He was elected governor amidst rising sectional strife in the late 1850s, and following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, persistently sought to sever the state's ties with the Union. His war-time efforts eventually raised over 100,000 soldiers for the Confederate cause. After the Union Army gained control of Middle and West Tennessee in 1862, Harris spent the remainder of the war on the staffs of various Confederate generals. Following the war, he spent several years in exile in Mexico and England.
After returning to Tennessee, Harris became a leader of the state's Bourbon Democrats. During his tenure in the U. S. Senate, he championed states' rights and currency expansion. As the Senate's president pro tempore in the 1890s, Harris led the charge against President Grover Cleveland's attempts to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act.