William Littleton Harris

William Littleton Harris (1807–1868) was a Mississippi jurist.[1]

Early life

Harris was born in 1807 Georgia. He graduated from the University of Georgia. Harris moved to Mississippi in 1837 and lived in Lowndes County.[1]

Career

Harris served as a circuit judge, helped write the Mississippi code of 1857.[2] In 1858 Harris joined the Mississippi High Court of Errors and Appeals (now known as the Supreme Court of Mississippi). His best-known opinion was Mitchell v. Wells, decided in 1859.[3] The case prohibited a formerly enslaved woman from inheriting from the estate of her white father. In essence, it held that once someone was a slave in Mississippi she would always be considered a slave, even though her father (and owner) had taken her to Ohio and freed her. The case illustrates the extreme southern position; it illustrates the uncompromising nature of southern law on the eve of Civil War.[4]

Harris served as a commissioner to Georgia during the secession winter and delivered an address to the Georgia legislature supporting secession.[4]

After the war his appointment to the High Court of Errors and Appeals of Mississippi was overthrown by president Andrew Johnson in 1867. He then moved to Memphis and formed a law firm with judge Hentry T. Ellett and Confederate Colonel James Phelan, Sr.[1]

Death

Harris died of pneumonia November on November 27, 1868.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 William L. Harris http://genealogytrails.com/miss/benchandbar.html#wmharris
  2. ↑ The Revised Code of the Statute Laws of the State of Mississippi http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Revised_Code_of_the_Statute_Laws_of.html?id=u1qwAAAAMAAJ
  3. ↑ Mitchell v. Wells, 37 Miss. 235 (April term, 1859) http://books.google.com/books?id=tfkLAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA235&lpg=PA235&dq=mitchell+v.+wells+mississippi&source=bl&ots=bqFg_-VLoW&sig=_KC5UtMr6-QJRhfyKXUB_vqpyg8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=lL3rUsSrHM-2sAS9qoCIBQ&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=mitchell%20v.%20wells%20mississippi&f=false
  4. 1 2 Address of William L. Harris http://civilwarcauses.org/wharris.htm
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