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Harry Harbinger

Harry Harbinger
File:DALL·E 2022-12-08 11.29.03 - Harry Harbinger.png A painting of Harry Harbinger from 1861
Born	Harrison Hans Harbinger September 16, 1803 Roanoke, Virginia, United States
Died	July 9, 1881 (aged 77) Gatlinburg, Sevier County, Tennessee, United States
Resting place	Waldens Creek Cemetery, Sevierville, Tennessee, U.S.
Monuments	Harbinger Memoriam (statue complex, 1883, Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.) Harry Harbinger School of the Disadvantaged (1896, Evansville, Indiana, U.S.)
Education	Masters degree in public administration, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1834)
Years active	1836-1878
Known for	Senate and Congress member representing Tennessee, later a humorist writer
Notable work	The Groves (1855), My Life (1859), A Western Epiphany (1863), Where Has It All Gone? (1866) Outgunned and Outmanned (1869) Outgunned and Outmanned: Second Act (1871), The Chambers of Reflection (1876)
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.8m)
Political party	Whig (1836–1856)
Spouse	Nancy Tidball (m. 1824–1837) Jo Ann Kidman (m. 1838–1850) Louise Sheridan (m. 1853–1881)
Children	William "Willy" Harbinger (politician) (b. 1839, Houston, Texas – d. 1902, Harrisburg, Texas)
Parent	Hans Friedrich Harbinger (businessman) (b. 1776, Kohlberg, Germany – d. 1848, Sumter, South Carolina) Anne Patricia O'Malley (b. 1780, Southport, England – d. 1864, Johnson City, Tennessee)
Relatives	Luke Aaron Harbinger, owner of GeriOil, a company based in Knoxville, Tennessee (born 1962) Daniel Owen Harbinger, politician from Houston, Texas (born 1956)

Harry Harbinger (born Harrison Hans Harbinger, September 16, 1803, Roanoke, Virginia, U.S. — July 9, 1881, Gatlinburg, Tennessee (aged 77)) was an American politician, writer, artist, comedian, humorist and entrepreneur, who initially served as a state representative of Tennessee from the state's first district and later as a U.S. senator from the state. He was known for his distinctive Appalachian accent and gravelly voice, his early demonstrations and writings that influenced the movement of other humorists in America, such as Mark Twain, and his accounts of his travels to the then-independent Republic of Texas in the late 1830s, shortly before entering his political career. Throughout his writings, Harbinger created many figures of speech and catchphrases, many of which are still in use today, such as the commonly used "don't get a chip on your shoulder". Eventually, after taking up painting near the end of his life, he created satirical depictions of American icons; one example is his 1868 painting of George Washington, displaying him gnawing on cherry trees with a set of wooden dentures, humorously titled I Cannot Tell A Lie.

A proponent of Reconstruction, Harbinger introduced a plan in the Senate to give freedmen in the South the vote. Meanwhile, he supported the right for slaveowners to keep their slaves, but only until the passing of his law that would take effect only after the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would officially free all slaves.

Harbinger was later known for his writings and novels recounting his earlier life, primarily his 1859 autobiography “My Life,” that depict his travels around the United States, alongside his worldview and quick wit when journaling his life experiences and lessons. He is considered to be a large influence on the state of Tennessee, having lived there for most of his life, ratifying state laws and making amends with the citizens, and designing a prototype for 1905 the state flag that remains in use today. Many statues throughout the eastern portion of Tennessee depicting Harbinger are standing today; as of 2021, approximately 134 statues of Harbinger exist throughout the state.

Early years

Harrison Hans Harbinger was born on September 16, 1803 in Roanoke, Virginia, to a German-American business owner and mogul from Kohlberg, Duchy of Württemberg (now in Germany), Friedrich Harbinger, and his wife Anne O’Malley, born in Southport, England, of mixed English and Irish descent. Harbinger was also known as "Dutchie" because of his German heritage (a reference to the way Harbinger called Germany “Deustchland”). The Harbinger family is one of the oldest families of German origin in East Tennessee. Harbinger was an only child, which he states in My Life, subjected him to ostracism from his peers and made him “sworn to keeping his name”. Harbinger has described how his father raised him as a Lutheran, but in his 20s, he rebelled and demanded that his father not force his religion on him, but to give him time to construct his own religion, which he called “Harmonium”. Harbinger said that the purpose of Harmonium was a united doctrine of “men, women, children, and all beings and non-beings on every planet and corner of the universe that ever was or will be.”

In 1812, at the age of nine, Harbinger and his parents moved to the small town of Abingdon, Virginia, in the lowlands near the Appalachian Mountains. Harbinger stated that the town “inspired his passion for fine arts” and he “grew to love nature” and became good friends with all of the locals. The following year, Harbinger and his father, after purchasing a farm from the estate of a family friend, relocated to the city of Kingsport, Tennessee. While living in Kingsport, Harbinger met the sisters Nancy and Elizabeth Tidball, a popular, and reportedly well-liked duo of young women in the town, who introduced him to “sober pursuits”, such as fishing, gardening, and grouping the cattle herd at her father’s cattle farm. Harbinger stated that he learned to be a good judge of character from these interactions.

In 1820, at the age of 16, Harbinger and his father moved to the western part of the state, near the state capital of Nashville, to continue Friedrich’s new business venture, which was dairy farming. Harbinger stated that while living in Nashville, he “never forgot his connections to the larger world” while he remained educated and took part in enjoyable pastimes and statewide events. Harbinger stated that the community of Nashville was unlike any other in the state, which was to be expected considering his claim that “those who had come and gone from somewhere else” lived in this community. Harbinger later went on to say that this community became his second home, being he claimed that “all the young men of Nashville, Tennessee became my brothers.”[6]

In 1824, at age 21, Harbinger married Nancy Tidball at the home of his parents. The couple later lived in the home his father had purchased from a local family in Strawberry Plains, in Knoxville. During the early part of their marriage, Harbinger continued to work as a dairy farmer. He stated that he did not like that the cows sometimes chose to eat their own dung, which he claimed that “they believe it tastes a lot better when it is not dry and gray,” and that it made the cows look “like a bunch of pigs.” Harbinger also disliked being separated from his family during the work day. Nancy and Harbinger had one daughter, Harriet Harbinger, who was born on March 11, 1826 in St. Mary's Church, Knoxville, Tennessee. Harriet was three years old when she died. Harriet was nicknamed “Maude”, and like her mother, was well-liked by Harbinger's neighbors.

In 1829, Harbinger purchased his own farm on South Holston Lane, which was not far from his father’s original estate from 1820. Harbinger stated that his hard work paid off in the form of two sizable profits, one in 1830 and another in 1832. During this time, Harbinger began a second business, which was trading goods and pork to surrounding areas. In 1833, Harbinger had a considerable amount of success in this venture and was able to purchase a large, successful tavern in Knoxville, which he fashionably named The Kraut Haus. During this period, Harbinger became friends with the owners of this tavern, who also, according to Harbinger, taught him how to "dress for success" in the city.

Voyages across the United States

Harbinger and an acquaintance from a local law firm, Luke Dayton, set out to Houston, Texas, on horseback from Knoxville, Tennessee on April 5th, 1835. [7] On May 11th, 1835, Harbinger and Dayton arrived at the eastern outskirts of Houston, Texas, where they purchased a 250-acre plot of land near the bank of the Rio Grande, and built an estate, which they called “McCreary’s Point.”