 Apart from his business activities, Harrison was a magistrate for Worcestershire and a member of the Stourport local board and a number of other institutions in the area.In 1874 he was invited to stand as Liberal candidate for the parliamentary borough of Bewdley in place of Augustus Anson who had retired from parliament.Harrison held the seat for the Liberals, defeating his Conservative opponent Stanley Leighton by 514 votes to 405.