Hon. Benjamin Harris, of the Twenty-ninth Senatorial District, was born in Poinsett County, Ark., in 1854, and is the sixth of eleven children born to Benjamin and Martha (Thrower) Harris, a short history of whom is given in the sketch of Add Harris, sheriff of Poinsett County. The family are of Scotch descent, and first came to the United States from their native land in 1680, taking up their abode in Nelson County, Va., in which State the paternal grandfather served as a captain in the Revolutionary War. The youthful days of our subject were divided between working on the farm and attending school, and as he grew up he learned the lessons of industry, perseverance and economy, which have stood him in good stead in later years. Becoming familiar with the intricacies of surveying, he was elected to the office of county surveyor, at the age of twenty-two years, and afterward entered upon the study of law; and after being admitted to the bar, in 1879, he commenced practicing the profession at his old home, and the enviable reputation he has acquired has been gained largely through his own individual efforts, and at the expense of diligent study and hard practical experience. He has been known by the people of the community from infancy, and they have had every opportunity to judge of his character and qualifications, and their confidence in him has been intelligently placed. In 1885 he was elected to the house of representatives, and in 1888 was chosen a State senator. Socially, he is a Mason. In 1881 he was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Reeves, a native of Missouri, but he was called upon to mourn her less in 1887; she was the mother of two children: Frederica and Jachehot Fay. Frederica died in September, 1884.