Mr. Harrington was born in Forest county, Pennsylvania, February 7, 1839, son of Daniel and Hettie (Elder) Harrington, natives of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, respectively, and of Irish extraction.  His father was a farmer and merchant and did an extensive country business.  He is now a resident of Butler, Butler County, Pennsylvania, and has reached the advanced age of eighty-nine years.  The mother is deceased.  They had a family of eight children, namely:  John, a member of the Eighty-seventh Pennsylvania, was killed at the battle of Bull Run; Mariah, deceased; Candar, a resident of Forest county, Pennsylvania; Hettie, deceased; George, deceased; Charles, Butler, Pennsylvania; Mary, wife of Lew Spears, Chautauqua county, New York; and J. D., the subject of our sketch.

At the age of twelve years Mr. Harrington ran away from home and from that time forward took care of himself.  His youthful days were spent in various occupations.  He educated himself after he had reached his majority, and is now competent to attend to any business that may devolve upon him.  He remained in Pennsylvania until 1861, when he came to Iowa and located in Jackson county.  Here in August the following year he enlisted in Company B., Twenty-seventh Volunteer Infantry, and served until August 8, 1864, when he was honorably discharged.  He was slightly wounded at the battle of Pleasant Hill.  January 5, 1865, he was taken prisoner in the eastern part of Tennessee and was held until May 12, 1865, at Andersonville.  He was in the battles of Little Rock, Fort Derusia, Yellow Bayou, Pleasant Hill, Nashville and some others, and also a large number of skirmishes.

The war over, Mr. Harrington returned to Pennsylvania and remained there until the spring of 1867, when he came back to Iowa and settled down on a farm in Jackson county, remaining there until 1873.  In June of that year he came to Ida county, and has since resided here, with the exception of three years, 1884 to 1887, which he spent in Kansas.  Upon locating in this county he first settled on eighty acres of prairie land on Section 1, Maple township, and after living on this farm two years and improving it to some extent he sold it and purchased 160 acres in section 11, Logan township, it also being prairie land.  Three years later he sold this property and bought 218 acres in section 6, Silver Creek township.  This he improved, and also sold after keeping it three years.  After his sojourn in Kansas he returned to Ida county and bought 160 acres in Douglas township, section 17, which he improved and on which he made his home three years.  Then he sold out again and invested in a small farm in section 18, Silver Creek township, but only lived on it a year before selling out and moving to Ida Grove.  He he still lives.

Mr. Harrington was married June 18, 1867, to Miss Margaret McCabe, a native of Ireland, and a daughter of Patrick and Catherine McCabe.  She was reared in Jackson county, this state.  They have six children;  Daniel, Charles, James, Andrew, Arthur and Frank, the last two being at home and the others engaged in farming.

Politically, Mr. Harrington affiliates with the Democratic party.  He was elected County Supervisor in 1889, and as a member of that board of officers has rendered most efficient services, which have been highly appreciated by the people at large.  At the time he went into office the county debt was about $70,000 and it has since been reduced to the neighborhood of $40,000.  Mr. Harrington is a member of the G.A.R., Matthew Gray Post, and of the A.F. & A.M., Alpine Lodge No. 471.