Bryce Nathaniel Harlow (August 11, 1916 – February 18, 1987) was a congressional staff member, army officer, advisor to U.S. presidents, and
corporate lobbyist.
Early life
He was born in 1916 in
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...
, the son of Victor E. Harlow, who had served as a college professor, college president, and publisher of ''Harlow's Weekly,'' which focused on Oklahoma political, social and economic issues. Bryce graduated from the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
in 1936 at age 19, followed by two years of graduate work in government at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
and the University of Oklahoma. He then went to
Washington, D.C., where he served on
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...
as assistant librarian of the
U.S. House of Representatives and then as an aide to Congressman
Wesley Disney.
Military career
In 1940, he joined the army reserve, and in July 1941, he was placed on active duty as an officer in the public information office of Army Chief of Staff Gen.
George C. Marshall. He then served as the army's congressional liaison under
Wilton B. Persons
Wilton may refer to:
Places Australia
* Wilton, New South Wales, a small town near Sydney
Canada
* Rural Municipality of Wilton No. 472, Saskatchewan
England
*Wilton, Cumbria
* Wilton, Herefordshire
** Wilton Castle
*Wilton, Ryedale, Nor ...
. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Corporate career
After the war, Harlow returned to
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...
twice to serve as vice president of Harlow Publishing Company in 1946–47 and 1951–52, but both times, he was recruited back to positions in Washington. In 1947, he joined the staff of the House Armed Services Committee, and in 1948, he became the head of the staff. In 1950, he became disenchanted with the Democratic Party and switched his registration to Republican.
Government career
In 1953, newly elected President
Dwight D. Eisenhower established a congressional liaison office in the White House and appointed Wilton B. Persons as its head. Persons suggested Bryce Harlow join the staff, and Eisenhower was enthusiastic. Harlow resisted at first, wanting to stay in Oklahoma, but after a personal call from the President, he decided to accept. He was soon writing speeches for the President and went on to hold a variety of titles in the White House through Eisenhower's two terms.
Harlow also wrote campaign speeches for
Richard M. Nixon in 1960, but Nixon was defeated by
John F. Kennedy. In 1961, Harlow was hired by
Procter & Gamble
The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...
to create their first governmental relations office in Washington, D.C. His connection with the company was through
Neil H. McElroy, former Procter & Gamble president and now chairman, who had served as Eisenhower's Secretary of Defense. Harlow was the company's main representative to Congress and federal agencies until his retirement in 1978. At the time of his retirement, he was called the "unofficial dean of Washington corporate representatives." He continued to be active in presidential politics and took leaves of absence from Procter & Gamble to work with Nixon from 1968 to 1971 and again from 1973 to 1974. After assisting with Nixon's successful presidential campaign in 1968, he was one of Nixon's first White House appointees, starting with the title of assistant to the president for legislative and congressional affairs. Before long Harlow was elevated to counselor to the president with cabinet rank.
Harlow later served as an informal advisor to Presidents
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...
and
Ronald Reagan.
Honors
Harlow received many honors. In 1960, he received the Minuteman Award, the highest honor of the
Reserve Officers Association. He was inducted into the
Oklahoma Hall of Fame The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was founded in 1927 by Anna B. Korn to officially celebrate Statehood Day, recognize Oklahomans dedicated to their communities, and provide educational programming for all ages. The first Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Cer ...
in 1977. In 1981, President Reagan awarded him the
Medal of Freedom. In 1990, the
Fund for American Studies established the Bryce Harlow Institute on Business and Government Affairs, a summer program at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
.
Bryce Harlow Foundation
In 1982, the Bryce Harlow Foundation was established. The Foundation has awarded the Bryce Harlow Award to an individual who has worked to advance business-government relations and "whose integrity, dedication and professionalism echo the work and life of the late Bryce Harlow." Recent recipients of the award have included Senators
Mark Warner
Mark Robert Warner (born December 15, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Virginia, a seat he has held since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, Warner served as the 69th govern ...
,
Joseph Lieberman
Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for Vi ...
,
Jon Kyl
Jon Llewellyn Kyl ( ; born April 25, 1942) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States Senator for Arizona from 1995 to 2013 and again in 2018. A Republican, he held both of Arizona's Senate seats at different times, ...
,
Rob Portman
Robert Jones Portman (born December 19, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from Ohio since 2011. A member of the Republican Party ...
, and
Daniel Inouye
Daniel Ken Inouye ( ; September 7, 1924 – December 17, 2012) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. Beginning in 1959, he was the first U.S. representative ...
.

The Bryce Harlow Foundation also promotes integrity in professional advocacy through workshops and advocacy forums at educational institutions in Washington, D.C. The foundation selects approximately twenty part-time
Washington, D.C. area graduate students each year to receive the Bryce Harlow Fellowship. The current president of the Bryce Harlow Foundation is Barbara Faculjak.
Notes
References
* Burke, Bob and Ralph G. Thompson (2000). ''Bryce Harlow: Mr. Integrity,'' Oklahoma Heritage Association ()
* Mayer, Michael S. (2010). "Harlow, Bryce N." ''The Eisenhower Years, Presidential Profiles.'
American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. (accessed February 22, 2014)
External links
Bryce Harlow Foundationat the
Carl Albert Center
The Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center is a nonpartisan institution devoted to teaching and research related to the United States Congress and, more broadly, to strengthening representative democracy through engaged and infor ...
Papers of Bryce N. Harlowat the
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Harlow, Bryce
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harlow, Bryce
1916 births
1987 deaths
American lobbyists
United States Army personnel of World War II
Businesspeople from Oklahoma City
Eisenhower administration personnel
Military personnel from Oklahoma
Nixon administration cabinet members
Oklahoma Democrats
Oklahoma Republicans
Politicians from Oklahoma City
Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
Procter & Gamble people
United States Army colonels
United States congressional aides
University of Oklahoma alumni
University of Texas at Austin alumni