Rowan & Harris
| Company type | Partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Slave trade |
| Founded | 1830s |
| Founder | John L. Harris, Thomas Rowan |
| Headquarters | Natchez , United States |
| Products | Enslaved people |
Rowan & Harris, alternatively referred to as Harris Rowan & Co., was a slave trading enterprise based in the United States during the 1830s, with its primary operations centered at the Forks of the Road slave market in Natchez, Mississippi. The firm was managed by partners John L. Harris and Thomas Rowan.
In 1834, Harris publicly announced the availability of "180 negroes for sale" in Natchez. Prior to 1851, Rowan had passed away, which was before their legal conflict with Hiram G. Runnels escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court. The lawsuit, titled Rowan v. Runnels, concerned a promissory note backed by slaves marketed as property within Mississippi. The Supreme Court invalidated the state's restriction on slave sales set forth by the 1832 constitution; Chief Justice Roger Taney authored the majority opinion, while Justice Peter V. Daniel dissented, underscoring deference to state judicial rulings.
By 1841, trustee Rice C. Ballard oversaw the disposal of the Bruinsburg plantation—a 2,300-acre estate in Claiborne County, Mississippi—alongside more than 100 enslaved individuals, including 23 children younger than eight years old, to fulfill three promissory notes owed to Rowan & Harris.