Harris was born in New York on October 29, 1826. He was a professional merchant for ship equipment at the corner of South Street and Maiden Lane. At the first, he was working alone but later with his business partner named Nathan Gilette Pond, where they established the Harris & Pond company. The business premises had already opened by his father in 1805, and since working there they began to exported large quantities of butter to British Hong Kong. This export business was so successful that the trademark was soon copied by other exporters and stuck on its own goods.
