He moved to Aurelius, New York, becoming the first white settler in 1789, and operated the first ferry across Cayuga Lake with partner James Bennett called the Harris-Bennett Ferry.
He acted as an Indian interpreter and guide for white people who traded with and acquired land from upstate New York Indians, and opened the first dry goods store and tavern in Cayuga County, New York, in 1789.
In 1800 he was a partner in the group that constructed the first bridge across Cayuga Lake, further opening western New York to white settlers and securing routes for those traveling further west to Ohio, Michigan and beyond.
Also in 1806, Harris was elected to the US House of Representatives as a Democratic-Republican to the Tenth Congress.
He did not run for reelection and returned to his businesses in the Cayuga Lake area.