James E. Harris

Who was James E. Harris?

James Eastman Harris was a Nebraska politician who served as the 8th Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska from 1897-99.

Harris was born to Abram and Phebe Eastman Harris in Licking County, Ohio on May 27, 1840. He briefly attended Bethany College starting in 1860, but his studies were interrupted by the Civil War. He subsequently obtained a degree from Eureka College. In 1866, he married Angeline Mitchell, daughter of Rev. D.G. Mitchell. Becoming a teacher and a preacher, he led the Utica Normal Training School for Teachers for nine years.

Around 1885 he moved to a farm in Nemaha County, Nebraska, and became pastor of a church in Auburn. He was elected to the Nebraska Legislature in 1892, and in 1896 elected to serve as Lieutenant Governor.

He died in 1923 and was buried at Evergreen Memorial Park in Riverside, California.