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Harry W. Rusk

American politician (1852-1926)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 18, 2026
Entity authorityQ1108107 ↗
Source-derived summary

Harry Welles Rusk (October 17, 1852 – January 28, 1926) was a U.S. representative from the third district of Maryland. He was also the president of the Kennard Novelty Company in Baltimore. This was the first company to commercially sell ouija boards in 1890.

Early life

Rusk was born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 17, 1852. He was the son of Jacob Krebs Rusk (1823–1913) and Catharine Olivia Rusk (1829–1902). Among his siblings were Dr. George Glanville Rusk and Jacob Krebs Rusk Jr.

He attended private school for his primary education. In 1866 Rusk graduated from high school from Baltimore City College. Rusk obtained a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1872 and was admitted to the bar in 1873.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Harry W. Rusk” as american politician (1852-1926). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Harry, Rusk and American.

Editorial reviewStrongest as a route into the people, institutions and dated events that shaped the subject’s public record. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1852, 1926, 1890, 1823—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1852-10-17. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Harry, Rusk and American providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Harry W. Rusk”, the useful work is to connect “american politician (1852-1926)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1108107. VIAF identifies the subject as 121250603. The Library of Congress control number is no2010083040. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1852, 1926, 1890 and 1823.

Critical limits

Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Harry W. Rusk” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.