| Thomas Harris | |
| Office: | Mayor of Victoria, British Columbia |
| Term Start: | 1862 |
| Term End: | 1865 |
| Birth Date: | 1817? |
| Birth Place: | England |
| Death Date: | November 29, 1884 (aged 67) |
| Death Place: | Victoria, British Columbia |
Thomas Harris (1817? - November 29, 1884[1]) was the first mayor of Victoria, British Columbia, serving from 1862 to 1865.
Born in Almeley, Herefordshire, Harris married Eliza Dickinson, a widow, in Liverpool in 1848. Harris came to Victoria by way of California in 1858, at the height of the Cariboo gold rush. He ran a slaughterhouse for a time, then became a butcher shortly afterward and made his fortune.[2]
A jovial man who had an opinion on everything and wasn't afraid to tell whoever would listen, he was a likely candidate for election in 1862 when the town's father decided to incorporate the town. At election time, Harris won by "forest of hands" amid a group of 600 men. During his second official council meeting, the 300 pound (136 kg) Harris had a chair collapse under his own weight.
In 1873, he was named sergeant-at-arms for the provincial legislature. He was named high sheriff for Vancouver Island in 1876.[2]
Harris Green, an area within Victoria, is named after him.
His stepson Robert Dickinson took over the shop in New Westminster and served as mayor of that city.[2]