Biography of Edison E. Harris

Edison E. Harris is one of the well known and representative business men of Peck and his stanch qualities of worth have made him one of the highly respected and substantial men of this section. It is quite fitting that a review of his life form a part of his County’s history, having been a man of activity and a promoter of good schools, progress and up building.

E. E. Harris was born in Jamesville, _______, on April 15, 1864, being the son of Jackson and Susan C. (Thayer) Harris. The father was born in Canada in 1836, of Irish extraction, was a pioneer to California and now resides in Oklahoma. The mother was born in New Hampshire in 1838 of English descent; her father was a veteran of the war of 1812 and of the Mexican War, and lived to be eighty-eight years of age. Our subject was taken to Minnesota in 1871 and in 1878 the family went thence to North Dakota, being the first settlers on the Fort Ransom reservation. From this resulted, in 1884, a gold excitement in that section.

Edison grew to manhood and received a common school education in this section, and then graduated from the Ottawa University in Kansas. He made a trip to Texas in 1889, seeking a business location and brought back a band of cattle to Nebraska to winter. In 1893 he made the race to the Oklahoma country and secured a claim, where he toiled for four years and then for the benefit of the health of the family, he sold out and removed to the salubrious sections of Nez Perces County. He made settlement at Ahsahka, secured a post office, and was appointed postmaster, this position Mr. Harris still holds, handling the office by an assistant. He opened a general merchandise store with M. Mean, in that place and two years later removed the stock to Orofino. After this Mr. Harris was engaged as bookkeeper for Fox & Debaum, at Juliaetta, then at Lane and is now in the same position for the McGrew Mercantile house in Peck. Mr. Harris is manager of the concern and does a fine business.

On June 21, 1887, at Lisbon, North Dakota, Mr. Harris married Miss Sarah A., daughter of Thomas and Martha Roach, natives of Canada, where also Mrs. Harris was born. They have two children, Susan and Crystal. Mr. Harris has two brothers and one sister, George R., Jack T., and Esther Whybark, all in Oklahoma.

Mr. Harris is a member of the I. O. O. F., having assisted to organize the lodge at Orofino. He is also a member of the liberal Christian Church. In politics Mr. Harris is a Republican and is now chairman of this precinct committee. He is active at all the conventions and especially interested and active in promoting good educational facilities. He was the moving spirit in organizing the Ahsahka district and in getting nine months of school each year.

Back to: Nez Perce Biographies

Source: An Illustrated History of Northern Idaho, Embracing Nez Perce, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, Western Historical Publishing Company, 1903

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