Thomas Harris (surgeon)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Harris was a U.S. naval officer. He served as the second Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
, Chester County
, Pennsylvania
, to William Harris
and Mary Campbell Harris. He attended the Brandywine Academy in Chester County. On 19 April 1809, Dr. Harris graduated from the Medical School of the University of Pennsylvania
. He entered the U.S. naval service during the War of 1812
, and remained there for the rest of his life. He was appointed a surgeon in the navy on 20 July 1812. On 22 September of that year he was ordered to the USS Wasp
then commanded by Jacob Jones
. He thus took part in the celebrated engagement between the Wasp and HMS Frolic
on 18 October, in which the Frolic was captured. Later in the day, the Wasp and her prize were taken by the British ship of the line
HMS Poictiers
and carried to Bermuda
. The officers and crew of the Wasp were shortly returned to the United States. Harris served in the Atlantic and on Lake Ontario thereafter. Dr. Harris was one of those who received the thanks of Congress and the medal awarded to all officers who took part in this action.
In March 1815, Harris sailed with Stephen Decatur
in the campaign
against the Barbary Pirates. He was placed in charge of the wounded.
His most important subsequent service was at Philadelphia. While serving in this city he oversaw the construction of the Naval Hospital in Philadelphia; he served as the president of the naval board of medical examiners; and he organized the first postgraduate medical school to give instruction in naval medicine. He was one of the best known and most skillful surgeons of his day, and many distinguished civilians came to him for relief. In 1832, he operated on President Andrew Jackson
and extracted a bullet that the president had received in a duel nearly 20 years before.
In April 1844, Surgeon Harris was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and served in this capacity until 30 September 1853. During his tenure, he brought about improvements in the organization of the Bureau and was much interested in the character and qualifications of the young physicians entering the Medical Corps of the Navy.
) and Elizabeth White, daughter of William White
, the first Episcopalian Bishop of Pennsylvania.
, was a soldier in the American Revolutionary War
and a member of the Pennsylvania legislature. His brother John
also joined a branch of the navy. He was also a career officer, and became commandant of the Marine Corps.
Harris' nephew, Joseph Smith Harris
, participated in the Coast Survey, the Northwest Boundary Survey, and in the American Civil War
. He later became president of the Reading Railroad.
Career
Harris was born in East Whiteland TownshipEast Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania
East Whiteland Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,650 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, Chester County
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
, Pennsylvania
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...
, to William Harris
William Harris (colonist)
William Harris was a farmer, soldier, and member of the Pennsylvania legislature. He was the father of two other American military men.-Early life:...
and Mary Campbell Harris. He attended the Brandywine Academy in Chester County. On 19 April 1809, Dr. Harris graduated from the Medical School of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. He entered the U.S. naval service during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, and remained there for the rest of his life. He was appointed a surgeon in the navy on 20 July 1812. On 22 September of that year he was ordered to the USS Wasp
USS Wasp (1807)
The second USS Wasp of the United States Navy was a sailing sloop of war captured by the British in the early months of the War of 1812. She was constructed in 1806 at the Washington Navy Yard, was commissioned sometime in 1807, Master Commandant John Smith in command. In 1812 she captured , but...
then commanded by Jacob Jones
Jacob Jones
Commodore Jacob Nicholas Jones was an officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the Barbary Wars, and the War of 1812.-Biography:...
. He thus took part in the celebrated engagement between the Wasp and HMS Frolic
HMS Frolic
Five vessels of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Frolic.* The first Frolic was an 18-gun 384 ton brig-sloop in service from 1806 to 1813...
on 18 October, in which the Frolic was captured. Later in the day, the Wasp and her prize were taken by the British ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
HMS Poictiers
HMS Poictiers (1809)
HMS Poictiers was a 74-gun Royal Navy third rate. This ship of the line was launched on 9 December 1809 at Upnor. She played a small role in the War of 1812. She was broken up in 1857.-Active service:...
and carried to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. The officers and crew of the Wasp were shortly returned to the United States. Harris served in the Atlantic and on Lake Ontario thereafter. Dr. Harris was one of those who received the thanks of Congress and the medal awarded to all officers who took part in this action.
In March 1815, Harris sailed with Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur, Jr. , was an American naval officer notable for his many naval victories in the early 19th century. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Worcester county, the son of a U.S. Naval Officer who served during the American Revolution. Shortly after attending college Decatur...
in the campaign
Second Barbary War
The Second Barbary War , also known as the Algerine or Algerian War, was the second of two wars fought between the United States and the Ottoman Empire's North African regencies of Tripoli, Tunis, and Algeria known collectively as the Barbary states. The war between the Barbary States and the U.S...
against the Barbary Pirates. He was placed in charge of the wounded.
His most important subsequent service was at Philadelphia. While serving in this city he oversaw the construction of the Naval Hospital in Philadelphia; he served as the president of the naval board of medical examiners; and he organized the first postgraduate medical school to give instruction in naval medicine. He was one of the best known and most skillful surgeons of his day, and many distinguished civilians came to him for relief. In 1832, he operated on President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
and extracted a bullet that the president had received in a duel nearly 20 years before.
In April 1844, Surgeon Harris was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and served in this capacity until 30 September 1853. During his tenure, he brought about improvements in the organization of the Bureau and was much interested in the character and qualifications of the young physicians entering the Medical Corps of the Navy.
First Marriage
Harris married Jane Phillips Hodgdon, daughter of Major Samuel Hodgdon, who had been an army officer from 1776 to 1800, and who later became president of the Pennsylvania Company for Insurance on Lives and Granting Annuities. They had five children. Jane died July 21, 1834.Second Marriage
Harris subsequently married Esther White Macpherson (1803 - May 18, 1855), who was a daughter of Major Samuel Macpherson (a soldier in the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
) and Elizabeth White, daughter of William White
William White (Bishop of Pennsylvania)
The Most Reverend William White was the first and fourth Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA , the first Bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania , and the second United States Senate Chaplain...
, the first Episcopalian Bishop of Pennsylvania.
Family
Harris' father, William HarrisWilliam Harris (colonist)
William Harris was a farmer, soldier, and member of the Pennsylvania legislature. He was the father of two other American military men.-Early life:...
, was a soldier in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and a member of the Pennsylvania legislature. His brother John
John Harris (USMC)
John Harris was the sixth Commandant of the Marine Corps. He served in the Marine Corps for over 50 years, attaining the rank of colonel.-Family:...
also joined a branch of the navy. He was also a career officer, and became commandant of the Marine Corps.
Harris' nephew, Joseph Smith Harris
Joseph Smith Harris
Joseph Smith Harris was an American surveyor, civil engineer, and railroad executive. Largely self-taught, he worked on several projects for the U.S. government, including the Coast Survey of the Mississippi Sound in 1854–56 and the Northwest Boundary Survey of 1857–61...
, participated in the Coast Survey, the Northwest Boundary Survey, and in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He later became president of the Reading Railroad.