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Connecticut
Gov. Henry Baldwin Harrison
- January 8, 1885 - January 7, 1887
- Republican
- September 11, 1821
- October 29, 1901
- Connecticut
- Yale University
- Married Mary Elizabeth Osborne
About
HENRY BALDWIN HARRISON, Connecticut’s 35th governor was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on September 11, 1821. In 1846 he graduated valedictorian from Yale University, then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1848. Harrison entered politics as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, an office he held in 1865, 1873, and again, in 1884 when he served as speaker. He ran unsuccessfully for the governor’s office in 1874, but was successful 10 years later when he was elected governor by a legislative vote. During his tenure, the Bureau of Labor Statistics was founded, probate laws were edited, and two mills were instituted with a state tax. Harrison’s administration also endorsed antislavery laws, and he advocated for the initiation of required education for children until the age of 16 and for prohibition programs. In January 1887, Harrison left office, retiring from public service. Governor Henry B. Harrison died on October 29, 1901, and is buried at the Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut.
Source
Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 1, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.