Harriet Anna Mayor (born December 13, 1933) is the President of the

J. William and Harriet Fulbright Center The J. William & Harriet Fulbright Center is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C., whose mission is to "...foster peace and justice through collaboration." History In 2006 Harriet Mayor Fulbright founded The J. ...

and Board President of Harriet Fulbright College. She is the second wife, and widow, of

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

J. William Fulbright James William Fulbright (April 9, 1905 – February 9, 1995) was an American politician, academic, and statesman who represented Arkansas in the United States Senate from 1945 until his resignation in 1974. , Fulbright is the longest serving chair ...

. Mayor was the former Executive Director of the

President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) was an advisory committee to the White House on cultural issues. It worked directly with the Administration and the three primary cultural agencies: the National Endowment for the Art ...

under President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

Early life and education

Harriet Fulbright was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, New York on December 13, 1933. Her father, Brantz Mayor, worked for ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

''. She has five siblings, one of whom is bestselling mystery author

Archer Mayor Archer Mayor is an American author. He wrote the Joe Gunther detective series. Mayor is a Yale graduate and lives in Newfane, Vermont Newfane is the shire town (county seat) of Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,645 ...

. The family moved often during Fulbright's youth and as a consequence, she spent much of her childhood in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Her first overseas experience was at the age of 14, when she traveled to Colombia for a summer study program. She continued her education at Radcliffe College, the women's college counterpart to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, where she earned her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1955. In 1975, Fulbright earned her MFA from the

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

in Washington, D.C. Fulbright married William Watts in 1953 and gave birth to three daughters. The family spent two years each stationed in the USSR and South Korea and one year in Germany. She taught English in each country and would continue to teach for many years to come.

Life with Senator Fulbright

In 1987, Mayor served as the Executive Director of the

Fulbright Association Established on February 27, 1977, the Fulbright Association is a private, nonprofit organization whose members are Fulbright Program alumni and friends of international education. The association supports and promotes international educational and ...

and moved the headquarters from

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr, pronounced , from Welsh language, Welsh for big hill, is a census-designated place (CDP) located across three townships: Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, Radnor Township and Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, Haverford Township in Delaw ...

to Washington, D.C. Senator Fulbright was on the board of the Fulbright Association at the time and the two began spending time together. The two were married on March 10, 1990, in a private ceremony at Senator Fulbright's home in Washington when JWFulbright was 83 years old. After marrying, the two traveled for two years before JW Fulbright suffered from the first of several strokes before his death. Notable trips included a journey to Japan for the publication of Fulbright's autobiography, ''Against the Arrogance of Power: My Personal History'',

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

after the fall of the Berlin Wall and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. Near the end of January 1992, Senator Fulbright suffered the last of many strokes. He died on February 9, 1995.

Recent activities

Harriet Fulbright serves as an "unofficial ambassador" for the Fulbright Program and is often invited to speak at events that range from university commencements to milestone anniversaries for Fulbright Commissions around the world who are celebrating the presence of her late husband's educational exchange program in their respective countries. As a result of her status as an international figure of peace and education, she has received many awards and honorary degrees. She currently sits on the advisory board of the

Alliance for Peacebuilding An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

. In 2006, she created the J. William & Harriet Fulbright Center, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting peace through international education and furthering her late husband's legacy. She currently serves as president of the organization. Recently, Fulbright celebrated her 75th birthday in Washington.

Awards and honors

Fulbright has received numerous honor and accolades throughout her career. Below is a partial list:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fulbright, Harriet Mayer 1933 births Living people Radcliffe College alumni George Washington University alumni Honorary Members of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary People from New York City