Herbert Eugene Harris II (April 14, 1926 – December 24, 2014) was a Democratic member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He served three consecutive terms from 1975 to 1981. His district included part of

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

Early life

Born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, Harris attended St. Francis Xavier Elementary School, Kansas City from 1930 to 1939. He graduated from Rockhurst High School, Kansas City, 1943. He attended

Missouri Valley College Missouri Valley College is a private college that is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Marshall, Missouri. The college was founded in 1889 and supports 40 academic majors and an enrollment close to 1,500 students. Misso ...

, Marshall, from 1944 to 1945, and

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

from 1945 to 1946. He earned a B.A. from

Rockhurst College Rockhurst University is a private school, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College, Rockhurst University is School accreditation, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It ...

in 1948 and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law School,

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, ...

, 1951. He was admitted to the Missouri and District of Columbia bars in 1951 and commenced practice in Kansas City. He moved to the Washington, D.C., area in 1951. He is the cofounder, vice president, and general counsel of the international trade consultants firm of Warner & Harris, Inc. He served on the

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

, Board of Supervisors from 1968 to 1974. He served as member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority from 1968 to 1974. He served as vice-chairman of the

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA was created by the United States Con ...

from 1970 to 1974.

Congress

Harris was elected 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 ...

to the 94th Congress in 1974, defeating incumbent Rep. Stanford E. Parris. He was re-elected to the 95th and 96th Congresses, serving January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1981, overall. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1980 to the 97th Congress, defeated by Stanford E. Parris, who regained his former congressional seat. In 1982, Harris attempted a comeback, but lost 48.6%-49.7%. Harris offered sympathy when Stanford E. Parris died in 2010.

Electoral history

Personal life

He resumed the practice of law with firm of Harris & Berg in Washington, D.C. He was a resident of

Mount Vernon, Virginia Mount Vernon is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 12,416 at the 2010 census. Primarily due to its historical significance and natural recreation and beauty, ...

. Harris died on December 24, 2014, at his house on Fairfax County, Virginia, aged 88. While in Congress, he was a key proponent for establishing the

Quantico National Cemetery Quantico National Cemetery is a national cemetery in Triangle, Virginia for veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces. Adjacent to and originally part of Marine Corps Base Quantico, it was established as a national cemetery in 1983 wi ...

. He was interred there with his wife, Nancy ''Fodell'' Harris. Mr. Allen was also married to Rae Allen, famous Broadway and television actress.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Herbert Eugene, Ii 1926 births Lawyers from Kansas City, Missouri People from Mount Vernon, Virginia 2014 deaths Burials at Quantico National Cemetery Rockhurst University alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni Politicians from Kansas City, Missouri Members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American lawyers Members of Congress who became lobbyists