[3] In 1880, Upton's father was elected as a member of the United States Congress as a Republican from Ohio, succeeding President James Garfield in the position.

[4] This entrance into the world of high politics provided Harriet with an opportunity to meet leading political leaders of the day, including Susan B. Anthony — the person who brought Upton into the movement to win the right to vote for women.

She stepped down from this position in June 1924 in an attempt to follow her father into the halls of Congress, running unsuccessfully in the August Republican primary election in the Ohio 19th District for the House of Representatives.

[6] Throughout her life Upton participated in a number of other organizations, including the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, the Women's Relief Corps, and the Episcopal Church.

[9] In early 2010, Upton was proposed by the Ohio Historical Society as a finalist in a statewide vote for inclusion in Statuary Hall at the United States Capitol.

[12] In response to this, a local resident began a petition with the goal of renaming it after Harriet Taylor Upton.