Sandy Harris was born in North Carolina in about 1804. A lawyer, he was a democratic politician who served as clerk of the Granville County Court from 1831 to 1836. He also represented Granville in the North Carolina State House from 1834 to 1835. He later moved to Washington D.C. before securing an appointment in the U.S. Customs House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died in Philadelphia on November 13, 1886.