Henry Baldwin Harrison
Encyclopedia
Henry Baldwin Harrison was a Republican
politician
and the 52nd Governor of Connecticut.
Harrison was born in New Haven, Connecticut
. He graduated from Yale College
in 1846, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
, and studied at Yale Law School
. He was a member of Connecticut Sons of the American Revolution
. He married Mary Elizabeth Osborne (the daughter of Yale Law School
professor and U.S. Representative Thomas Burr Osborne and Ann Sherwood.)
Harrison ran for office as a Republican. In 1854, he won a seat in the Connecticut state senate (4th District). He lost a bid for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut in 1857, and for Governor in 1874, but he returned to the Connecticut House of Representatives
in 1865, 1873, and 1883; during his last term, he was Speaker of the House. From 1885-1887, he served as Governor of Connecticut.
Harrison's contributions included initiatives on prohibition
and abolition of slavery
. Issues of great concern to him were education and workers' rights. He served in the Legislature at the time of the Industrial Revolution
and witnessed the growing problems caused by industrialization. As Governor, he created the state Bureau of Labor Statistics
, and he pushed for compulsory education
to the age of 16 for Connecticut's children.
He gave a moving eulogy at the funeral of his cousin, also a Governor of the State of Connecticut, Roger Sherman Baldwin
. Harrison said, "It has been well said that Governor Baldwin was a great lawyer. He was an upright, a just, a conscientious and honorable man. Governor Baldwin was a true son of Connecticut. His memory deserves all honors from Connecticut, and from every one of her children."
Harrison died in New Haven on October 29, 1901 and is interred at Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and the 52nd Governor of Connecticut.
Harrison was born in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. He graduated from Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
in 1846, where he was a member of Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
, and studied at Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
. He was a member of Connecticut Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fraternal organization in the United States...
. He married Mary Elizabeth Osborne (the daughter of Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
professor and U.S. Representative Thomas Burr Osborne and Ann Sherwood.)
Harrison ran for office as a Republican. In 1854, he won a seat in the Connecticut state senate (4th District). He lost a bid for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut in 1857, and for Governor in 1874, but he returned to the Connecticut House of Representatives
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents...
in 1865, 1873, and 1883; during his last term, he was Speaker of the House. From 1885-1887, he served as Governor of Connecticut.
Harrison's contributions included initiatives on prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
and abolition of slavery
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
. Issues of great concern to him were education and workers' rights. He served in the Legislature at the time of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and witnessed the growing problems caused by industrialization. As Governor, he created the state Bureau of Labor Statistics
Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is a governmental statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and...
, and he pushed for compulsory education
Compulsory education
Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all persons.-Antiquity to Medieval Era:Although Plato's The Republic is credited with having popularized the concept of compulsory education in Western intellectual thought, every parent in Judea since Moses's Covenant with...
to the age of 16 for Connecticut's children.
He gave a moving eulogy at the funeral of his cousin, also a Governor of the State of Connecticut, Roger Sherman Baldwin
Roger Sherman Baldwin
Roger Sherman Baldwin was an American lawyer involved in the Amistad case, who later became the 17th Governor of Connecticut and a United States Senator.-Early life:...
. Harrison said, "It has been well said that Governor Baldwin was a great lawyer. He was an upright, a just, a conscientious and honorable man. Governor Baldwin was a true son of Connecticut. His memory deserves all honors from Connecticut, and from every one of her children."
Harrison died in New Haven on October 29, 1901 and is interred at Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven.