Nathaniel Edwin Harris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nathaniel Edwin Harris
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Nathaniel E. Harris, circa 1882
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| 61st Governor of Georgia | |
| In office June 26, 1915 – June 30, 1917 |
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| Preceded by | John M. Slaton |
| Succeeded by | Hugh M. Dorsey |
| Member of the Georgia House of Representatives | |
| In office 1882-1885 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | January 21, 1846 Jonesborough, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Died | September 21, 1929 (aged 83) Hampton, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Resting place | Rose Hill Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
Fannie Burke
(m. 1873)Hattie Gibson Jobe
(m. 1899) |
| Children | 7, including Walter A. Harris |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia (BA) |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Confederate States Army |
| Unit | 16th Virginia Cavalry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Nathaniel Edwin Harris (born January 21, 1846 – died September 21, 1929) was an important American lawyer and politician. He served as the 61st Governor of Georgia. He is especially remembered for helping to create the Georgia Institute of Technology, a famous university.
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Nathaniel Harris's Early Life
Nathaniel Harris was born in Jonesborough, Tennessee on January 21, 1846. His father was a doctor and a minister. During the American Civil War, he moved to Georgia to avoid the fighting.
At 16, he joined the Confederate States Army and served until the war ended. After the war, he returned to his family in Tennessee. Soon after, they moved to Bartow County, Georgia.
In 1867, Harris started attending the University of Georgia (UGA) in Athens. He was part of the Chi Phi fraternity and the Phi Kappa Literary Society. He graduated in 1870 with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. Later, in 1889, he became a trustee for UGA and stayed on the board until he passed away.
After college, Harris taught school for two years. He then studied law and became a lawyer. In 1873, he moved to Macon, Georgia. He started a law firm called Hill and Harris with Walter Barnard Hill. From 1874 to 1882, he also worked as the city attorney for Macon.
His Family Life
Nathaniel Harris married Fannie Burke from Macon in 1873. They had seven children together, including General Walter A. Harris. Later, in 1899, he married Hattie Gibson Jobe from Elizabethton, Tennessee.
Building Georgia Tech
Nathaniel Harris was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1882. He represented Bibb County and was reelected until 1885. A big part of his campaign was to create a new college focused on technology.
As a state representative, Harris introduced a bill in 1882 to establish the Georgia Institute of Technology. At first, it was called the Georgia School of Technology. The bill was finally approved by the Georgia General Assembly on October 13, 1885. It had failed to pass in 1883 and 1884. Harris received support from important people like Henry W. Grady and John Fletcher Hanson.
The bill asked Governor Henry Dickerson McDaniel to choose five people to find a location for the new school. Harris was chosen as the chairman of this group. The committee met in Atlanta on October 19, 1886. They took 23 votes before choosing Atlanta as the school's location. Other cities like Macon and Athens also wanted the school. Harris became the president of the school's Board of Trustees and held that position for the rest of his life. He once said that founding Georgia Tech was the most important public event of his life.
Governor of Georgia
Harris was elected to the Georgia Senate from 1894 to 1895. He then served as a judge for the Superior Court of the Macon Circuit from 1912 until 1915. He left his judge role to successfully run for Governor of Georgia.
He became governor on June 26, 1915, and served until 1917. He was the last governor of Georgia who was born outside the state. During his time as governor, Harris signed a law that brought Prohibition to Georgia. This law made it illegal to make or sell alcohol.
After his term as governor, he went back to his law practice in Macon. He also served as the Pension Commissioner of Georgia from 1924 to 1925. He was also president of the Electoral College of Georgia.
Nathaniel Harris was a cousin to Alfred Alexander Taylor and Robert Love Taylor. Both of them were U.S. Congressmen and Governors of Tennessee.
His Final Years
Nathaniel Harris passed away at his summer home in Hampton, Tennessee on September 21, 1929. He was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon.
