 Harvey was elected in 1920 to be the 70th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina and was elevated to the governorship in 1922 upon the resignation of Governor Robert Archer Cooper.He continued the progressive reforms initiated by former governors Cooper and Richard Irvine Manning III by instigating higher standards in education and by favoring the use of concrete for road construction.After finishing the term as governor in 1923, Harvey returned to the private sector where he managed a number of insurance companies.