Fred Harris

Fred Harris

November 13, 1930-November 23, 2024

Fred Harris lived a remarkable life. He spent the last year of his life being lauded by his colleagues at the University of New Mexico with an honorary doctorate in May, 2024, publishing his Report of a Last Survivor (University of New Mexico Press, 2024) and establishing an endowment to support student participants in the UNM Fred Harris Congressional Internship Program. Fred took his last breath on November 23, 2024, with his wife Marg Elliston at his side.

Fred rose from a depression era boyhood to become an Oklahoma State Senator (1956-1964), United States Senator (1964-1973), Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (1969-1970), candidate for President of the United States (1976), professor at the University of New Mexico (1976-2008), and elder statesman and engaging and popular storyteller.

Born in Walters, Oklahoma in 1930, Fred joined a family of sharecroppers, cattle traders and hay bailers. At five years of age, he began working in the family business, Hay-Bailing Harris's, with his grandfather and uncles who had a saying, "Why send a man when you can hire a kid?" Hay-bailing led to a string of jobs delivering newspapers, shining shoes, and typesetting and printing. Those skills helped support him and his growing family through college at the University of Oklahoma.

Fred married his high school sweetheart, LaDonna Crawford and they had daughter Kathryn Harris while an undergraduate at OU. He was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar a semester before he graduated from law school. After settling into a legal career in Lawton, Oklahoma, Fred entered politics. He ran unsuccessfully for the Oklahoma House of Representatives and subsequently was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in 1956, becoming the youngest member of that body when he entered (age 25) and still the youngest when he left (age 34). Fred was a young man in a hurry.

When Oklahoma Senator Robert S. Kerr died, Kerr's family asked Fred to run to fill the vacancy. Fred won a contested primary to enter a general election against Bud Wilkinson, the winningest coach in football first Oklahoma. Fred faced this challenge using humor and the new technology of television to defeat a revered Oklahoman in Wilkinson. Aided by the candidacy of Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1964, Fred became a United States Senator. He joined a young and vigorous incoming class of new Senators including Robert F. Kennedy, Walter (Fritz) Mondale, Joseph Montoya and Joseph Tydings. Fred served proudly in the Senate passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Fair Housing legislation, the ERA, welfare reform, protections for marine mammals, anti-poverty programs and the core of LBJ's Great Society all designed to address the great inequalities in our nation.

Following the summer of 1967 when riots exploded in many inner cities of America, Fred convinced President Johnson to create the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders to investigate the causes of the racial riots that shocked the nation. The President appointed Fred to the panel, which became known as the Kerner Commission. Fred and New York Mayor John Lindsay became leaders of the Commission, and became key authors of a final document notable for reporting that "Our nation is moving towards two societies, one black, one white separate and unequal." The report recommended restructuring American institutions including police, media and social welfare agencies to address the racial divide.

As a UNM professor, Fred updated the Kerner report with three follow-up investigations - Quiet Riots (1988), Locked in the Poorhouse (1999) , and Healing our Divided Society (2018). A recent PBS documentary, The Riot Report (2024), summarizes this remarkable time, featuring Fred's narration to recount events and his commitment to social and economic equality.

Restoration to Taos Pueblo of 48,000 acres of mountain land including the sacred Blue Lake marked another accomplishment. The Taos Pueblo land including Blue Lake had been removed from the Pueblo's ownership in and made part of the Carson National Forest. The Pueblo fought for its return for the next six decades. Fred and his first wife, LaDonna, a citizen of the Comanche Nation, partnered to lobby the bill with the Senate and White House. They sat together at the bill signing when President Nixon remarked "I can't believe I'm signing a bill that was sponsored by Fred Harris." Fred enjoyed being with the people of Taos Pueblo for celebrations marking this capstone achievement. He always felt blessed to be included in the prayers of the Taos Pueblo people.

Fred decided not to run for re-election to the Senate deciding instead to run for President in 1972. He continued his campaign and became a candidate in the 1976 Democratic Primary for President. He crossed the country in a Winnebago camper with signs that announced "Road to the White House, Fred Harris for President." He made stops in small towns, seeking to generate enthusiasm for his populist agenda among farmers, laborers and black, brown and white poor people. As Rolling Stone magazine described it, "With his black hair parted in the middle and his eyes making contact with attentive listeners, he spoke loudly and passionately like a preacher as he attacked corporate greed and trickle-down economics"

The 1976 campaign buttons reflected Fred's New Populist vision and passion. Some read "The issue is privilege" and "Take the Rich off Welfare" concluding with the often-copied "No more Bullshit!"

After dropping out of the 1976 Democratic Primary, Fred moved to New Mexico, citing a quote from fellow Oklahoman "You go where you're invited and stay where you are welcome." Putting down roots in Corrales, New Mexico, Fred started a vegetable garden, raised chickens and forged a new career as a popular political science professor at the University of New Mexico. In 1982, Fred married Marg Elliston, whom he met at the Corrales Chicken Slaughter. See https://www.texasobserver.org/2406-molly-at-the-times/

Fred settled in to teaching and inspiring generations of students to love political science. He supported politicians, hosted fund raisers, chaired the Democratic Party of New Mexico, and served as Chief of "Stuff" for his wife Marg when she chaired DPNM.

Fred traveled the world, learning Spanish, teaching in Mexico, taking groups of students on summer programs in Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica and England. He visited Poland, Japan, Morocco, Italy, France, India, Ecuador, Honduras, Cuba, Iran and, as he liked to say, many other places. Sometimes he traveled by bicycle.

Fred often said that a person should, like a snake, shed their skin every few years. In between writing political science texts and reports, Fred wrote three novels.

Fred Harris is preceded in death by his parents, Alene and Fred B. Harris, and his sisters Kathryn Uselton, Sue Stauffer and Irene Duhon. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Margaret Elliston, his children Kathryn Harris Tijerina (Manuel), Byron Harris (Shannon) and Laura Harris, Amanda and Amos Elliston along with his cherished grandchildren Samuel Fred Goodhope, Rueben, Philip and Penelope Elliston and his great granddaughter Madelyn May Goodhope.

In the post-2024 presidential election political environment, Fred, who described himself as a radical optimist, would have continued to work to help America live up to its founding principles. Indeed we can all no doubt hear him even now, encouraging all of us to do the same.

Fred created an endowment at the UNM Foundation to continue to support UNM students participating in the Fred Harris Congressional Internship Program in Washington, DC. He hoped this endowment would support more students from diverse backgrounds in this life-changing experience. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages you to make a donation in further support of the endowment:

The Fred Harris Congressional Internship Program Endowment at the University of New Mexico Foundation, Inc.

Two Woodward Center

700 Lomas Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87102-2568

https://tinyurl.com/yc6s98wf

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at 2 PM at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, 1701 4th Street SW, Albuquerque, NM.

The Service will also be live-streamed beginning at 1:30pm: https://www.youtube.com/@americansforindianopportunity.