Marion-Leon County FlArchives Biographies.....Harris, Frank 1846 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 13, 2008, 12:18 pm

Author: B. F. Johnson (1909)

Frank Harris

    Frank Harris, of Ocala, is the dean of the newspaper fraternity in Florida
with forty-two years' experience to his credit. Deliberately choosing that
profession when a mere youth, he has tenaciously adhered to it, and made a
success, by sheer merit and determination.

    Born in Tallahassee, Fla., on December 3, 1846, his parents were Alexander
Ewing and Violet (Alexander) Harris. At the time of his birth, his father was in
Mexico, being a soldier in the American army then fighting the Mexican War. The
elder Harris came to Florida from Abbeville in the early thirties.

    The educational advantages of Frank Harris appear to have been limited to
the local schools of a sparsely settled country, and even these were cut off by
the War between the States, which began before he was fifteen years old. Before
the war ended he became a soldier in the Confederate Army. His business life
began in 1866 when he commenced work on the Ocala Banner of which he is now the
editor and with which he has been connected for forty-two years.

    In 1879 he married Miss Ella McDonald, daugh er of Berrian and Elizabeth
(Parramore) McDonald, of Monticello, Fla. They have had born to them six
children, Thomas H., Sara Elizabeth (Loyd), Violet (Powers), Louise (Clarke)
Frank, Jr., and Ansley M. (dead). Dr. W. H. Powers, the husband of one of the
daughters, is one of the leading physicians of the State. In politics Mr. Harris
is a lifelong Democrat. His religious predilections are towards the Methodist
Church.

    He has served as Mayor of his city, was a member of the board of trustees of
Florida University, member Board County Commissioners and of the Ocala board of
trade. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and the Benevolent order of Elks.

    The strongest trait in his character is a steadiness of purpose inherited
from his sturdy English and Scotch-Irish ancestry. Starting in with an obscure
little journal in a remote village, he has stayed by it, doing the day's work
faithfully, and has lived to see the little paper become widely known over a
great State, and the little country village grow into a nourishing city, and
railroad center.

    Mr. Harris represents possibly the smallest class in our business life, a
newspaper man, who is nothing but a newspaper man, and who has never been
anything else.

    It is likely that the whole State would not show a parallel case. But what
is true in other things is true of newspapers, long continuance makes for
character, and if long continuance goes with a consistent policy of
constructiveness, such a paper in time will be an influence, the weight of which
cannot be estimated.

    This veteran editor has seen the phosphate industry grow from nothing until
the annual product runs into millions. That he has contributed to this result
through his paper all men know, and not only in this case, but in everything
else affecting his town and county his paper has been ready to do its part and
much more than its part. Such labor is never paid for in money, even though the
business side should prosper, for while money may pay for hired service, it
cannot pay for heart service that men like Frank Harris give to their communities.

    That he has built up character and standing easily follows, and the esteem
in which he is held by the public is but a due recognition of his merits.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

FLORIDA EDITION
MAKERS OF AMERICA
AN HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WORK BY AN ABLE CORPS OF WRITERS
VOL. III.
Published under the patronage of 
The Florida Historical Society, Jacksonville, Florida

ADVISORY BOARD:
HON. W. D.  BLOXHAM
COL. FRANK HARRIS
HON. R. W. DAVIS
SEN. H. H. McCREARY
HON. F. P. FLEMING
W. F. STOVALL
C. A. CHOATE, SECRETARY

1909
A. B. CALDWELL
ATLANTA, GA.

COPYRIGHT 1909
B. F. JOHNSON

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