Carter Henry Harrison I

Carter Henry Harrison I (1736–1793), also known as Carter Henry Harrison of Clifton, was a Virginia planter and political figure who served as a representative in the Virginia House of Delegates for Cumberland County.

Early and Family Life:

Carter Henry Harrison was likely born in Charles City County, Virginia, to Anne Carter and Benjamin Harrison IV, both members of the First Families of Virginia. His mother was the daughter of Robert "King" Carter. Harrison was the middle son among several siblings; his brothers included Benjamin Harrison V (1726–1791), who inherited the family’s main plantation, served extensively in the Virginia General Assembly, and became Governor of Virginia; Nathaniel Harrison (1742–1782), who served in the House of Burgesses and the Virginia Senate; Henry Harrison (1736–1772), who fought in the French and Indian War; and Charles Harrison (1740–1793), a brigadier general in the Continental Army.

By 1753, Carter Harrison was attending the College of William and Mary. In 1760, he married Susannah Randolph, daughter of Isham Randolph and granddaughter of William Randolph. They had six children, including sons Carter Henry Harrison II, Randolph Harrison, Peyton Harrison, and Robert Carter Harrison Jr., as well as daughters Elizabeth (Betty) Harrison Bradley and Anne Harrison Drew, as named in his will.

Career:

Carter Harrison's grandfather, "King" Carter, had owned extensive lands in western Virginia, including deeds he deeded to Harrison in Goochland County in 1723. Upon reaching adulthood, Harrison moved to Cumberland County, where he developed the Clifton plantation, one of several Virginia estates bearing the same name.

Cumberland County was established from Goochland County in 1742. Harrison became active in local governance and patriot activities. In early 1775, he participated in Cumberland County’s Committee of Safety, alongside George Carrington. This committee was among the first to instruct Virginia’s delegates to the Continental Congress to adopt a resolution for independence, drafted by Harrison. The Virginia Convention adopted this resolution in May 1776, sending it to representatives in Philadelphia, including Harrison’s brother Benjamin Harrison V, who signed the Declaration of Independence.

In 1777, Virginia created Powhatan County from part of Cumberland County. During the American Revolution, Carter Harrison supplied beef and other materials to Patriot forces. In 1782, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates alongside Henry Skipworth, succeeding Creed Haskins. Harrison served multiple terms until 1787 when George Anderson succeeded him.

Death and Legacy:

Carter Harrison I is interred at the family cemetery in Cumberland County. His Clifton estate was operated by descendants until after the Civil War and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Some of his lands and the H.T. Harrison house are included in the Cartersville Historic District established in 1993. Harrisons in subsequent generations include Carter Henry Harrison (1828–1913), a grandson who served in the Virginia House of Delegates representing Chesterfield and Powhatan Counties, and the city of Manchester. He donated family papers to the College of William and Mary.

Other notable descendants include Carter H. Harrison (1825–1861), a Confederate Major killed at the First Battle of Bull Run; William Henry Harrison, who became the 9th U.S. President; Carter Henry Harrison III, who served two terms as mayor of Chicago and was assassinated in 1893; and Carter Henry Harrison IV, also a mayor of Chicago.