Fred Harris (lawyer)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Fred "Red" Harris (28 February 1910 – 20 October 1979) was a lawyer,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
politician and
Dallas County Dallas County may refer to: Places in the USA: * Dallas County, Alabama, founded in 1818, the first county in the United States by that name * Dallas County, Arkansas * Dallas County, Iowa * Dallas County, Missouri * Dallas County, Texas, the nint ...
judge. He served as an officer in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and, in later life, became a painter of scenes from the American Western frontier.


Early life and education

Harris was the son of Charles Frederick Harris and Marie Calcote Harris. He was christened Charles Frederick Jr., but his parents called him Fred and many others called him Red because of his red hair. Harris graduated from Oak Cliff High School in 1927. After high school, he attended
Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...
in
Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...
on an athletic scholarship and participated on the football, basketball, track and baseball teams. Harris was recruited to play professional baseball by the
St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they ...
and briefly played second base for their minor league franchises in
Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accordin ...
and
Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...
. He returned to Waco and received his bachelor of law degree in August 1932.


Early career

Harris received his law license in November 1932 and began to practice law in
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
. In 1934, he ran for a seat in the
Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...
as a
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
and was elected after defeating the incumbent
George Parkhouse George Marshall Parkhouse (May 13, 1900 – August 24, 1967) was a Democratic member of both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate from District 8 Dallas County. He did this despite having lost his left arm and left leg in a chil ...
in the party primary. In 1935, after the end of his first legislative session in
Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
and never having liked his given name of Charles, he had his name legally changed to Fred Red Harris to differentiate himself from another prominent Dallas resident who was also named Fred Harris. Harris resigned from his seat in the House at the end of 1941 to become a Dallas County commissioner.


Military service

Harris decided to join the Navy in mid-1942 and his wife was appointed to complete his term as county commissioner. He was trained and commissioned as a lieutenant junior grade in the Naval Reserve. His initial assignment was as a flight deck officer on the escort carrier during the final stages of her pre-commissioning and her initial voyages in the Atlantic theatre. In late 1943, Harris was reassigned to be a flight deck officer on the carrier . He participated in her commissioning and throughout her wartime service in the Pacific theatre. Harris was awarded the
Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...
and
Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...
after ''Franklin'' was struck by a Japanese ''
Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
'' in October 1944. He received the Navy Cross and a second Purple Heart after ''Franklin'' was attacked by a Japanese
dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...
in March 1945. In late 1945, Harris was promoted to
lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...
and released from active duty.


Post-war career

Harris was elected to the Texas Senate in 1946. He ran for
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
in 1950, but lost to Ben Ramsey in the Democratic primary. After Earl Huddleston resigned from the House of Representatives in June 1951, Harris won his seat in a special election. He retired from Texas state politics in January 1953. In 1963, Harris was appointed as a judge in Dallas County. In his spare time, he took up oil painting. His works were displayed in several one-man art shows and later published in a book. Harris and his wife moved to Waco in 1976 after his retirement.


Personal

Harris married Gussie Merle Hubert on 16 October 1935. They had three daughters.


References


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Fred 1910 births 1979 deaths W. H. Adamson High School alumni Baylor Law School alumni Lawyers from Dallas Members of the Texas House of Representatives 20th-century American naval officers United States Navy personnel of World War II Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Texas state senators Painters from Texas People from Waco, Texas 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers Military personnel from Texas