Name George Harrison Role Lord Provost | Died 1885 | |
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Books Chapters on Social Science, George Harrison: The Appl, The Remains of William P | ||
Sir George Harrison (1811 – 23 December 1885) was Lord Provost of Edinburgh and a Liberal politician.
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George harrison my sweet lord
Life
Harrison was a merchant of Edinburgh. He established the firm of Harrisons of Edinburgh in 1863.
He was Lord Provost of the city for 1882 to 1885 and was responsible for the acquisition of Blackford Hill by the Corporation of Edinburgh. He was also particularly interested in education. His contributions to social life included providing the land for the Whitehouse and Grange Bowling club in 1872 and acting as president of the Edinburgh Chess Club from 1884 to 1885.
In 1885 Harrison was elected Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South. However he died at the age of 74 within 5 days of the election's closure (18 December), and never took his seat.
He lived his final years at 7 Whitehouse Terrace in the Bruntsfield district.
He is buried in Warriston Cemetery just to the south-east of the vaults.
Recognition
In 1888 the Harrison Arch was built "to commemorate the work and character of Sir George Harrison". It is a red sandstone triumphal arch. Two streets in Edinburgh — Harrison Road, and Harrison Gardens — were also named after him.
Family
He was married to Jane Archibald (1819-1878). They had several children, including John Harrison (1847-1922) FRSE, CBE, LLD.