General Sir Henry Drury Harness KCB (29 April 1804 – 10 February 1883) was a British soldier who held several notable civil posts during his career.

He was promoted to lieutenant on 20 September 1832 and, on his return home in 1834, was appointed an instructor in fortification at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich.

During this period he compiled a textbook which became called the "Harness Papers"[2] and formed part of the course of study at the academy for the next twenty years.

In order to provide for the conveyance of the royal mails by railroad, the remuneration to be paid to the railway companies was to be fixed by agreement.

[6]: 486  The master of the mint in 1850, was a political officer whose responsibilities were limited to his parliamentary duties, and when Harness was made deputy-master he virtually became the head of the establishment.

The mechanical operations of coining were, at that time, a matter of contract between the deputy-master and certain melters, assayers, and moneyers, who, besides enjoying considerable emoluments, also claimed a vested interest in the appointment of their successors.

He therefore considered himself superseded and resigned the position of deputy-master, although Lord Aberdeen, then prime minister, personally pressed him to remain.

After declining an offer from the Government of New Zealand, he accepted the appointment of commissioner of public works in Ireland, and remained there for two years.

Shortly after the outbreak of the great cattle plague in 1866, Lord Granville invited Harness to become head of a new temporary department in the council office.

[8] Upon his death George Robert Gleig, chaplain-general to the forces, wrote: I have lived long in the world and conversed with men of all orders of mind as well as of all professions, but among them I never found one in whose society I so much delighted as in his.