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 https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Revised_Code_of_the_Statute_Laws_of.html?id=u1qwAAAAMAAJ
  3. ↑ Court, Mississippi Supreme; Smedes, William C.; Marshall, Thomas Alexander; Cushman, John Franklin; George, James Zachariah (1860-01-01). Cases Argued and Decided in the Supreme Court of Mississippi ... E.W. Stephens Publishing Company.
  4. 1 2 Address of William L. Harris http://civilwarcauses.org/wharris.htm
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