White House Democratic candidate Kamala Harris has Ulster-Scots roots

The Ulster-Scots Agency is excited at the prospect another American president with roots in the Province could take up office in the White House in the near future.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden looks on as his running mate Sen Kamala Harris, speaks at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, Del. AP Photo/Carolyn KasterDemocratic presidential candidate Joe Biden looks on as his running mate Sen Kamala Harris, speaks at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, Del. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden looks on as his running mate Sen Kamala Harris, speaks at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, Del. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Recently appointed Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, according to her father, a retired professor, has an ancestor who left Antrim to set up a plantation in Jamaica in the 19th century.

Her links to Hamilton Brown, who was born in Antrim in 1776, are not without controversy as Brown, after whom Brown’s Town in Jamaica is named, is reported to have been a slave owner.

Northern Ireland historian Stephen McCracken has had his interest piqued by the link.

Historian Stephen McCrackenHistorian Stephen McCracken
Historian Stephen McCracken

He said: “On August 13 I was wakened to find an email from a retired reporter relative from Georgia, USA – Alexander Earl McCracken.

“It was basically telling me that Kamala Harris had just been appointed as the Democratic Vice Presidential candidate to run alongside Joe Biden against President Donald Trump. However what was interesting to me was her roots to Antrim.”

He said: “Harris is of mixed race, her father is Jamaican and her mother is from India. Her fourth Great Grandpa, as they say in the US, was a Mr Hamilton Brown. Hamilton was born in Antrim in 1776.

“Earlier this month Harris’ father Donald Harris, a retired Stanford University economics professor who emigrated from Jamaica in 1961, said the Harris family descends from plantation and slave owner Hamilton Brown.”

Of Hamilton Brown, Stephen said: “He gave his name to Hamilton Town in Saint Ann Parish, now Brown’s Town, which he founded and even named one of his sugar plantation ‘Antrim’.

“He started his career in Jamaica from humble roots as an Irish emigrant book keeper and worked his way up to owning plantations. He built the original St Mark’s Anglican church there.”

The Ulster-Scots Agency had also learned of the vice presidential candidate’s heritage. It said: “US Senator Kamala Harris, who has been picked as running mate and potential Vice President to Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden, has Ulster-Scots heritage. If Biden wins in November and serves only one term as expected, there is every chance of a President with Ulster-Scots roots in the White House for the 250th anniversary of American Independence in 2026.”

Donal Kelly of Antrim Town Tours said: “I was delighted to hear about this link and it will help to highlight the fantastic history and International connections Antrim has all around the world. This new discovery with Kamala Harris’s ancestor coming from Antrim can only bolster our tourism offering especially in the very important US market.”

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