James Harper (congressman)
Encyclopedia
James Harper was a two-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
.
James Harper was born of Scots-Irish stock in Castlederg
, County Tyrone
, Ireland
. He immigrated to the United States
as a youth, and settled in Philadelphia. He married Charlotte Sloan Alford, a member of the Philadelphia Quaker establishment. He engaged in the manufacture of brick
and from 1820 to 1830 in the wholesale grocery trade.
Harper was elected as an National Republican (Anti-Jacksonian) to the Twenty-third
and Twenty-fourth
Congresses. His letters from Washington, some of which are preserved in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
, reflect a disgust with the endemic corruption of Andrew Jackson's administration. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1836
. In Congress he was a protégé of Henry Clay
, and followed Clay in commissioning his portrait from the Philadelphia portrait painter John Neagle
.
Upon his retirement from Congress, Harper continued in the manufacture of brick, also branching out into real estate speculation and urban development. Having bought the north side of Philadelphia's then undeveloped Rittenhouse Square
, he built a fine house for himself at 1811 Walnut Street in around 1840. Setting a patrician residential tone for the square with this structure, he sold off the remaining lots at profit. His house, sold after his death to the Social Arts Club (an exclusive men's club that thereupon renamed itself the Rittenhouse Club), still stands behind a c. 1901 facade. Harper was a member of the board of guardians of the poor and of the board of prison inspectors. He was also Grand Master of the Pennsylvania Freemasons, in which capacity he hosted the Marquis de Lafayette during Lafayette's "Farewell Tour" of the United States in 1825. He was a pewholder at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, and died in Philadelphia in 1873. Harper is buried, along with other members of his family, beneath a stately obelisk in Laurel Hill Cemetery
.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
James Harper was born of Scots-Irish stock in Castlederg
Castlederg
Castlederg is a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Derg and is close to the border with County Donegal. The village has a ruined castle and two ancient tombs known as the Druid's Altar and Todd's Den...
, County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. He immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a youth, and settled in Philadelphia. He married Charlotte Sloan Alford, a member of the Philadelphia Quaker establishment. He engaged in the manufacture of brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
and from 1820 to 1830 in the wholesale grocery trade.
Harper was elected as an National Republican (Anti-Jacksonian) to the Twenty-third
23rd United States Congress
-House of Representatives:For the beginning of this congress, the size of the House was increased from 213 seats to 240 seats, following the 1830 United States Census .- Leadership :- Senate :* President: Martin Van Buren...
and Twenty-fourth
24th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:During this congress one House seat was added for each of the new states of Arkansas and Michigan.-Leadership:- Senate :* President: Martin Van Buren * President pro tempore: William R. King - House of Representatives :...
Congresses. His letters from Washington, some of which are preserved in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historical society founded in 1824 and based in Philadelphia. The Society's building, designed by Addison Hutton and listed on Philadelphia's Register of Historical Places, houses some 600,000 printed items and over 19 million manuscript and graphic items...
, reflect a disgust with the endemic corruption of Andrew Jackson's administration. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1836
United States House election, 1836
The U.S. House election, 1836 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1836.Although Democrat Martin Van Buren was elected president, the Democrats continued to lose seats in the House...
. In Congress he was a protégé of Henry Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
, and followed Clay in commissioning his portrait from the Philadelphia portrait painter John Neagle
John Neagle
John Neagle was a fashionable American painter, primarily of portraits, during the first half of the 19th century in Philadelphia.-Biography:Neagle was born in Boston, Massachusetts...
.
Upon his retirement from Congress, Harper continued in the manufacture of brick, also branching out into real estate speculation and urban development. Having bought the north side of Philadelphia's then undeveloped Rittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The park cuts off 19th Street at Walnut Street and also at a half block above Manning Street. Its boundaries are...
, he built a fine house for himself at 1811 Walnut Street in around 1840. Setting a patrician residential tone for the square with this structure, he sold off the remaining lots at profit. His house, sold after his death to the Social Arts Club (an exclusive men's club that thereupon renamed itself the Rittenhouse Club), still stands behind a c. 1901 facade. Harper was a member of the board of guardians of the poor and of the board of prison inspectors. He was also Grand Master of the Pennsylvania Freemasons, in which capacity he hosted the Marquis de Lafayette during Lafayette's "Farewell Tour" of the United States in 1825. He was a pewholder at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, and died in Philadelphia in 1873. Harper is buried, along with other members of his family, beneath a stately obelisk in Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the second major garden or rural cemetery in the United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1998, one of only a few cemeteries to receive the distinction....
.