Bio of HARRIS, Samuel Arthur (b.1847 d.1908), Hennepin Co., MN
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EXTRACTED FROM: History of Minneapolis, Gateway to the Northwest; 
Chicago-Minneapolis, The S J Clarke Publishing Co, 1923; Edited by: Rev. 
Marion Daniel Shutter, D.D., LL.D.; Volume I - Shutter (Historical); 
volume II - Biographical; volume III - Biographical

SAMUEL ARTHUR HARRIS - Vol II, pg 58-62
Those who were associated with Samuel Arthur Harris, banker and grain merchant,
who passed away in 1908, bear testimony to the clear insight which he always
displayed in connection with business affairs and to the efficiency of his
service as a promoter and builder of the present prosperity and greatness of the
city in which he lived and labored. Practically his entire life was passed in
the middle west and he possessed the characteristic energy and enterprise which
have proved a dominant factor in the rapid upbuilding and development of this
section of the country. His birth occurred October 25, 1847, in Goshen, Elkhart
county, Indiana and he was descended in the eighth generation from Thomas G.
Harris, progenitor of the family in the new world, who settled in Boston,
Massachusetts, about 1635, at the time of his immigration from Wales. Successive
generations of the family generally followed agricultural pursuits in
Massachusetts and representatives of the name became residents of Washington
county, New York, prior to the Revolutionary war. It was from the Empire state
that Thomas G. Harris, father of Samuel A. Harris, moved to Indiana about the
year 1830 and became one of the founders and presidents of the Salem Bank at
Goshen, an institution which is still enjoying a profitable existence. In the
maternal line Samuel A. Harris can trace his ancestry back through nine
generations to Nicholas Danforth, who arrived from England in the year 1636 and
established his home at Cambridge, Massachusetts. Both the paternal and maternal
ancestral lines were represented in the Continental army in the struggle for
American independence.
Samuel Arthur Harris, usually known as "Arthur" to his many friends, was but
eleven years of age when his father died. He mastered the early branches of
learning taught in the public schools and passed through consecutive grades to
his graduation from high school. Later he remained for two or three years in the
east and in Europe and through travel gained many interesting experiences and
much valuable information. The year 1868 witnessed his arrival in Minneapolis,
after which he became a clerk for the firm of Harris & Putnam, here extensively
engaged in the lumber business. After the firm went out of existence he spent a
few months in a clerical position in the State National Bank and with the
organization of the Hennepin County Savings Bank in 1870 he became a stockholder
and trustee and soon afterward was appointed assistant cashier. He remained in
the bank until 1879, associated with E. S. Jones as president and J. E. Bell as
cashier. When the assistant cashier of the Northwestern National Bank defaulted,
Mr. Harris, in the fall of 1879, was appointed to the position and when the
cashier, S. N. Neiler, resigned his position in the following spring, Mr. Harris
was appointed cashier. His personal popularity and business ability contributed
in no small measure to the continuous growth and success of the bank and after
seven or eight years he was elected to the presidency. The policy which he
instituted was immediately felt in a largely beneficial measure. He increased
the capital and business during his administration and made this one of the
strongest and most influential financial institutions in this section of the
country. He tempered a most progressive spirit by a safe conservatism that
thoroughly protected the interests of depositors and stockholders alike and the
soundness of his judgment in conducting the business of the bank won the
commendation of all who knew aught of the institution. He remained in the
presidency until 1890, when to secure a much needed rest, he resigned.
A few months out of business and then Mr. Harris became connected with the
Duluth Elevator Company as treasurer in 1891, with office in Minneapolis, and
held that position until his demise. In December of 1891 he was elected to the
presidency of the National Bank of Commerce, which in its early history carried
a heavy burden of real estate and unprofitable assets, tying up more than half
of its capital, so that for several years the business of the bank was thus
seriously embarrassed. Mr. Harris immediately took up the task of disposing of
the real estate and in less than six months had restored the entire assets of
the institution to a cash basis and put the business of the bank on the road to
steady increase. He was also chosen president of the Clearing House Association
and was elected to the presidency of the Dual City Bankers Club. He was an
honored member of the American Bankers Association, in which he served for a
number of years as a member of the executive council and his opinions at all
times carried weight among the banking fraternity of the country. The Minnesota
Loan & Trust Company numbered him among its directors from its organization and
the Globe Gas Light Company profited by his service as treasurer.
On the 16th of September, 1872, Mr. Harris was united in marriage to Miss Anna
C. Stewart, a daughter of Rev. Daniel Stewart, D. D., of Minneapolis. They
became parents of two sons and a daughter. The family circle was broken by the
hand of death when in 1908 Mr. Harris was called to his final rest. For many
years he had been a devoted member of the Westminster Presbyterian church,
active in its work as one of its elders and in connection with its evangelistic
and mission interests, having for a number of years served as treasurer of the
Presbyterian Alliance. A splendid indication of his salient characteristics were
voiced in the resolutions passed by the Minneapolis Clearing House Association
following his demise, which is here quoted:
"Resolved: that through the death of Samuel A. Harris, president of the National
Bank of Commerce, the banking fraternity of Minneapolis has lost a member and
that no other has had a longer official connection with the banks of this city,
a continued official career of thirty-eight years, entitling him to the
distinction of a Nestor in the profession.
"Always self-controlled and clear-headed, never confused nor losing his balance,
Mr. Harris clearly perceived his objective and steadily went upward to the goal.
He saw more clearly than most men the factors and agencies affecting the
business and social situation of life and strove to bear upon them the resources
of a man accustomed to give thought and thoroughness in all things.
"His judgment was sought and highly valued by the leaders of affairs and he gave
evidence of his sagacity and ability in times of panic and alarm."
"He believed in industry, he applied himself ardently and uncomplainingly to the
labors of his position until the end."
"Temperate in all things, quiet, modest, self-controlled, speaking evil of no
man, never vain, never forceful, never obtrusive nor seeking public notice,
never indulging in display or obtrusion."