Harris Corporation
The "Harris Automatic Press Company" was founded by Alfred S. Harris in Niles, Ohio, in 1895. The company spent the next 60 years developing lithographic processes and printing presses before acquiring typesetting company Intertype Corporation. In 1957, Harris acquired Gates Radio, a producer of broadcast transmitters and associated electronics gear, but kept the Gates brand name alive by putting the Gates sticker on the back of numerous transmitters that were labeled Harris on the front panels.
Samuel Harris (Newfoundland merchant)
The son of Thomas Harris and Eleanor Ann Foote, he was born in Grand Bank and first went to sea at the age of ten. By the time he was 22, Harris was captain of the Jennie S. Foote. By 1881, he owned his own vessels. He became partners with a brother-in-law in a retail outlet. In 1895, he set up his own exporting business, Samuel Harris Limited. Between 1881 and 1926, Harris owned more than 60 schooners. By 1915, his son George was handling the day-to-day operation of the business. A downturn in European markets following the end of World War I and a change in government regulations controlling the fishery resulted in the firm declaring bankruptcy in 1923. Harris became president of the restructured firm, now controlled by a consortium of its creditors. He also founded the Western Marine Insurance Company.