Joseph Morrill Harper

Joseph Morrill Harper (June 21, 1787 – January 15, 1865) was an American physician, banker, and Jacksonian politician in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, the New Hampshire State Senate, and the New Hampshire House of Representatives, and was acting governor of New Hampshire during the early 1830s. His public career unfolded during a significant period in American history, and as a member of the Jackson Party representing New Hampshire, he contributed to the legislative process during two terms in Congress, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents.

Harper was born on June 21, 1787, in Limerick, in what is now the state of Maine but was then a part of Massachusetts. He received his early education locally and attended Fryeburg Academy in Fryeburg, in the District of Maine, an institution that prepared many young men of the region for professional careers. After his preparatory studies, he pursued the study of medicine, a demanding course of training in the early nineteenth century, and qualified to practice as a physician.

In 1810, Harper began the practice of medicine in Sanbornton, New Hampshire, marking the start of a long professional life in that state. The following year, in 1811, he moved to Canterbury, New Hampshire, where he continued his medical practice and established the community ties that would underpin his later political career. During the War of 1812 he entered national service as an assistant surgeon in the 4th Infantry, providing medical care to soldiers during the conflict. After the war he returned to Canterbury and resumed his medical practice. In recognition of his professional standing, he was elected a Fellow of the New Hampshire Medical Society in 1821.

Harper’s entry into public life began at the local and state level. He served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1826 and 1827, representing his community in the lower chamber of the state legislature. At the same time, he was appointed a justice of the peace in Canterbury in 1826, a position he would hold, with only a brief interruption, for nearly four decades, from 1826 to 1865. He advanced to the New Hampshire State Senate, serving as a state senator in 1829 and 1830. In 1831 he was chosen president of the State Senate, placing him in the line of succession for the governorship.

Harper became acting governor of New Hampshire in February 1831 when Governor Matthew Harvey resigned to accept an appointment as a United States federal judge. By virtue of his position as president of the State Senate, Harper assumed the duties of the chief executive and served as acting governor from February 1831 until June 1831. His brief tenure as acting governor occurred during a period of growing party organization and the consolidation of Jacksonian Democratic influence in the state.

At the national level, Harper was elected as a Jacksonian candidate to the Twenty-second and Twenty-third Congresses. He represented New Hampshire in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1835. During his two terms in office he served as a member of the Jackson Party, aligning himself with the policies of President Andrew Jackson and participating in the legislative debates of the era, including those concerning federal power, economic policy, and the interests of his New Hampshire constituents. His service in Congress coincided with such major national issues as the Bank War and the evolving party system, and he took part in the broader democratic process that shaped the direction of the country in the 1830s.

After leaving Congress in 1835, Harper returned to Canterbury and resumed the practice of medicine, continuing his long-standing role as a physician in the community. He also continued his judicial responsibilities, serving as justice of the peace from 1835 to 1865, thereby extending his record of local public service. In addition to his medical and political work, he was active in the financial sector; he served as president of the Mechanics Bank of Concord from 1847 to 1856, reflecting his prominence in the economic life of the region and his engagement with the developing banking system of mid-nineteenth-century New Hampshire.

In his personal life, Harper married Elizabeth Clough on June 6, 1816. The couple had two sons and a daughter, and they made their home in Canterbury, where Harper’s professional, political, and civic activities were centered. He remained a respected figure in the town and state until his death. Joseph Morrill Harper died on January 15, 1865, in Canterbury, New Hampshire, and was interred in the Village Cemetery there, closing a long career of service as a physician, legislator, acting governor, congressman, banker, and local magistrate.