Thomas Harris (surgeon)

Infobox Military Person
name= Thomas Harris


caption=
born= 3 Jan, 1784
died= 4 March 1861
placeofbirth= East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania
placeofdeath= Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
placeofburial=
placeofburial_label=
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch= Navy
serviceyears= 1812-1853
rank= Surgeon
unit=
commands=
battles=
awards= Thanks of Congress
relations= John (brother), Joseph Smith Harris (nephew), William White (father-in-law)
laterwork=

Thomas Harris (3 January 1784 – 4 March 1861), the second Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, was born in East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Career

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. [J.S. Harris, "Record of the Harris Family, descended from John Harris, Born 1680 in Wiltshire, England". P. 47.] 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. [J.S. Harris, "Record of the Harris Family." P. 47.] 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. [J.S. Harris, "Record of the Harris Family". P. 48.]

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 (BUMED) and served in this capacity until 30 September 1853. During his tenure, he brought about improvements in the organization of BUMED and was much interested in the character and qualifications of the young physicians entering the Medical Corps of the Navy.

Personal Life

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. [J.S. Harris, "Record of the Harris Family". P. 48.]

econd Marriage

Harris subsequently married Esther White Macpherson (1803 - May 18, 1855), who was a daughter of Major Samuel Macpherson (a soldier in the American Revolution) and Elizabeth White, daughter of William White, the first Episcopalian Bishop of Pennsylvania. [J.S. Harris, "Record of the Harris Family". P. 48.]

Family

His father, William Harris, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War.

Harris' 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.

Death

He died on 4 March 1861 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

References

* Harris, Joseph S. "Record of the Harris Family, descended from John Harris, Born 1680 in Wiltshire, England". George F. Lasher, Philadelphia. 1903.