Edward
C. Harrison was an honored and successful member of the San Francisco bar for
over forty years. His fellow members of the bar respected him for his
fine scholarship, his great industry, and his attractive personality. In
his later years he practiced with two of his sons. These sons continue
the name with honor in the legal profession. The late Edward C. Harrison
was born at Sydney, Australia, October, 1855, and died December 25, 1923.
His father was a native of old Virginia, a graduate of the Naval Academy at
Annapolis, and for many years was in the service of the navy, when he was
wounded during the Mexican war, and after being retired from active duty in the
navy, was appointed to the consular service at Sydney, Australia. He died
at Port Chalmers, New Zealand. After the death of his father, Edward C.
Harrison, in 1866, he was sent back to Appomattox, Virginia. He was then
eleven years of age. His elementary education was acquired at Port
Chalmers, New Zealand. He attended Gonzaga College at Washington,
D.C. In 1872, at the age of seventeen, he came to California, was
graduated fro the University of California in 1878, and from the Hastings
College of Law in 1882. Among his classmates in law school were Charles
W. Slack, Judge F. M. Angellotti and Charles A.Shurtleff. Mr. Harrison
took up practice at San Francisco, a member of the firm of Blake,Williams and
Harrison, and, finally, with his two sons,Maurice and Gregory A. Harrison.
He enjoyed high standing in the bar association in San Francisco, and was chairman of the discipline and grievance committee of the association from 1916 until 1918. He was active in democratic politics in his younger years, serving on the central committees and attending conventions as a delegate.
Mr. Harrison married Mary G. Bodkin. She was born in San Francisco.
They were the parents of three sons and four daughters, the daughters being
Mrs. Lucy H. Kirkman, Mrs. Hallock van der Lick, Mrs. A. Werner Lawson and Mrs.
Charles W. Cobb.
The oldest of the sons is Maurice E. Harrison, who graduated with the Bachelor
Arts degree from the University of California in 1908, receiving the degree of
Doctor of Laws from the law school in 1910, and then became associated
with his father in his practice. He is now dean of the Hastings Law
School. Maurice Harrison's first wife was Agnes Ballard Welsh. She
is survived by two children, Maurice E., Jr., and Ruth H., both attending
school. The second wife of Maurice Harrison was Margaret Hayne of
Berkeley, a graduate of the University of California and at the time of her
marriage had made an interesting success as a practicing attorney. She is
the mother of two children, Sally and Margaret Ann.
Edward T. Harrison, the second son, is assistant cashier in the Crocker
National Bank. During the World war he served successively as second
lieutenant, first lieutenant and caption of the Eighth Infantry, and was
overseas two years, though never assigned front line duty. After the
armistice he resigned.
Gregory A. Harrison, the third son, graduated from the University of California
with the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1917. He was appointed from the
university as a second lieutenant soon after America entered the World war, was
advanced to first and went overseas, but not in time to get to active service
before the armistice. In 1920 he completed the course of preparation for
the legal profession at Hastings Law College, and soon afterwards became
associated with his father and brother. His law offices are at 57 Post
Street.
Transcriber’s
Note: Gonzaga College may be located in Washington State, not D.C.
Transcribed
by Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: "The San
Francisco Bay Region" by Bailey Millard Vol. 3 page 115-116. Published by The
American Historical Society, Inc. 1924.
© 2004 Marilyn R. Pankey