The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-09-23
HIS HISTORY.
A Short Sketch of the Public Career OF
Our Distinguished Guest, Hon.
Carter H. Harrison.

VlslI OF gentleman VINO Is one oi TIC
most widely known statesmen in the
world. There is not city of any import
ance in the more thickly populated por-
ton of the United States where the name
of Mr. Harrison is not well known. A
brief sketch of our distinguished guest
viii at this time prove doubly interesting.
He was born in Fayette county, Ken
lucky, February 25, 1925. His earliest
Harrison ancestors are traceable to Rich
ard A Harrison, Cromwall's lieutenant
general, who led Charles |. TO the block.
The name was prominent in Virginia
during the Colonial period, and that of
his great grandfather, Carter Ii. Harri-
son, and his brother, Benjamin Harrison,
the signer of the declaration of indepen>
dence, and Father of President William
Henry Harrison, during the revolutionary
troubles The family early intermarried
with the Randolphs and Carters-two
large Virginia families; through the for
mer, Thomas Jefferson and John Ran
dolph were of near kin, and through the
latter, the Reeves, of Virginia, and the
breckenridge, of Kentucky. Robert Car
ter Harrison, grandfather of ''our Carter"
moved to Kentucky in 1912. His father,
Carter H. Harrison, and his grandfather,
were graduates of William aud Mary's
college. Robert Carter Harrison gave to
his son tract of land, an uncut forest;
in an opening, thickly grown up with
cane, on this tract, he erected one room
log house, in which "Our Carter'was born.
1t was during maple sugar season, and,
as the young parents had not provided
him with cradle, his father brought in a
new sugar trough to serve as a cradle
He was thus literally born in a cane
brake, and rocked in a sugar trough.
His father dying eight months after>
wards left him an only child to his wid-
owed mother. She gave him her every
thought and taught him reading, writing
and geography. She was woman of
strong will and sound judgment. His
first schools were the nomadic country
schools common in Kentucky, his mother
assisting him evenings at their lowly and
lonely home. His earliest recollection is
OF his mothers leading him to his fathers
grave and telling him his father never
told an untruth, and that he had held
"Here lies an honest man" to the best Of
epitaphs.
When fifteen years of age he was sent
to school to DIR. Lewis Marshall, brother
of the great Chief Justice, and and father
of the celebrated Kentucky orator. AT
thesage of eighteen years he entered Yale
College and graduated in the class Of
1S45, when twenty years old. He then
entered upon the study of the law. Aftel
being admitted to the bar he took TRIP
to Europe. He travelled over the conti>
nent, Spain, Norway and Russia excepted,
passed into Egypt, and thence, with Bay
ard Taylor, visited Syria and Asia Minor
Taylor's Land of the Saracen," was the
result of their tour together, and Harri,
sons name may be found on its pages
He returned to America in 1858 and il
1855 was married to Miss Sophonisbs
Preston, of Henderson, KY. During hi:
bridal tour through the northwest h,
was particularly struck with Chicago
Anticipating bright future for the place
he determined to settle there, and did so
He prospered from the first His frs
appearance in polit les was in 1871, wher
he was elected county commissioner o
Lake county. In 1872 he was nominated
for congress, but was defeated by J. D.
Ward. Again in 1874 his friends forced
the nomination upon him and he wa:
elected over Ward by small majority
His brilliant oratory upon one occasion
in congress won for him the sobliquet
| Our Carter and THE Eagle" In 1876
he was reelected to congress and served
out his term with distinguished ability
In 1879 he was elscted mayor of Chicago
by majority of 5000 over his opponent.
In 1881 he was again elected mayor HI
was again elected in 1888 by a majority
of 10000. On the End of last July a
Peoria. he was nominated for governor O
the state of Illinois by the democratic
party, and he is now making triumphal
tour throughout the state.