Nov. 23—Fred Harris, a former U.S. senator whose storied career in politics expanded into academia as a professor at the University of New Mexico, died Saturday. He was 94.
The Corrales resident died of natural causes, his family said.
New Mexico politicians and UNM alumni and colleagues mourned the loss of Harris, a veteran Democratic lawmaker, author and inspiration to many who visited his classroom.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called Harris a longtime friend and “towering presence in politics and academia.”
“In addition to being a very talented politician and professor, he was a decent, honorable man who treated everyone with warmth, generosity and good humor,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “Senator Harris was a lesson in leadership that public officials should emulate now and forever.”
U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., called Harris “a tireless and unyielding hero” who inspired thousands to “take on public service.” U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., said that while Harris has served as a senator, chairman and professor, among other positions, “we know him in New Mexico as our friend and mentor.”
After a long career in politics, during which he championed civil rights and ran for president of the United States and governor of Oklahoma, Harris landed in New Mexico, where he taught political science at UNM and began an internship teaching students, especially the underprivileged, practical experience in the country’s capital.
Harris was born in Walters, Oklahoma, and grew up on a farm there.
In a recent interview with David Steinberg for the Journal, Harris said his first job in the family business was as a hay baler. He said he later took a job as a printer to pay for his studies at the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and political science.
Harris earned his law degree and founded a law firm while being elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 1956, according to Harris’ biography from the Oklahoma Historical Society. He retired from practicing law in 1964 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate after a failed bid for governor.
The biography notes that Harris wrote or co-authored numerous bills during his two terms in the Senate, and that in 1968 he was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission , after several races. riot. This appointment led Harris to become involved in civil rights for the marginalized and turned him into a harsh critic of the Vietnam War.
As a U.S. Senator, Harris was a major force in returning the sacred Blue Lake lands to the people of Taos Pueblo through bipartisan legislation signed into law by President Richard Nixon.
Laura Harris, Harris’ youngest daughter, told the Journal this was one of her father’s proudest achievements, many of which focused on serving those less fortunate.
“He really strove to create systemic change and was very successful at that. So I think that’s what he dedicated his life to,” Laura Harris said.
In 1969, Harris was selected by Vice President Hubert Humphrey as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, a position he used to broaden party participation for women and minorities before resigning in early 1970, the biography said. Harris ran for president twice, in 1972 and 1976, on the platform of what he called “new populism,” which advocated a “fairer distribution of wealth.”
Harris shifted gears after his second aborted presidential bid and began a long teaching career at UNM as a professor of political science. His wife, Margaret Elliston, told the Journal that Harris had visited the state for years and was drawn to its scenic landscapes and Native American culture because she felt the country was “hospitable” to him.
Mike Weber, a former student of Harris, said the two would talk for hours in his office, with Harris sharing stories about his time in politics and his “truly extraordinary knowledge.”
“He was one of my two favorite professors ever, and an inspiration as I worked behind the scenes in politics and public policy for decades,” Weber told the Journal.
In 2006, Harris took his contribution to education to another level by starting UNM’s Fred Harris Congressional Internship Program. The program gives students the opportunity to travel to Washington, DC and work in the offices of New Mexico delegation members.
“Legions of UNM students have been trained in the intricacies of American government over the decades by Fred, whose deep intelligence, practical experience and inexhaustible humor captivated and inspired his students,” said Jami Nelson-Nuñez, chairman and associate professor of the UNM Political Science Department, said in a statement. “…He believed it was critical that our students understand and engage the institutions that control their lives.”
Harris’ family said he hoped to inspire students, especially those who were economically disadvantaged, to get involved in politics. His children told the Journal that it was common for a student to approach them to tell Harris how much they loved his teaching.
Laura Harris said her father made sure his children were “involved in everything he learned and everything he did.”
“Our conversation at the dinner table…I remember us talking about politics from the age of six, and all of us kids knew who was in the White House from a very young age,” she said.
The family remembered Harris as a curious person and a history buff.
“And he shared all that with us and made us curious people who love history and are deeply involved in politics,” Laura Harris said.
That meant road trips to all the Civil War battle sites in Virginia, where they grew up, and trips to places like the ancient ruins of Tikal in Guatemala before it was even open to tourists.
Harris’ family said that, especially in America’s current political and social climate, they will miss his humor and positivity, as he called himself a “radical optimist.”
“He had a lot of hope, even after this election, for our future and knew that we could get through these tough times that we’ve been through before,” Laura Harris said. ‘He really believed in people. One of the statements of his presidential campaign was: ‘People are smart enough to govern themselves, and when given real information, they can make decisions that are good for them. And that’s what we should encourage. ”
In a 2012 interview, Harris reflected on what he said was one of his greatest achievements: the return of Blue Lake.
Harris said he never understood why Taos Pueblo leaders approached an Oklahoma senator, but said it had been “a great blessing to have been involved in that fight.”
“They said, ‘We don’t want money, we want the land.’ They were so convincing to me, these old men, leaders of Taos Pueblo, that they had been in this fight for almost sixty years,” Harris said in the video “I said to an associate of mine who was at this meeting, after they had left, “If we do nothing else while we’re here, let’s see if we can get Taos Pueblo their land back.” “
