Randall S. "Front Porch" Harmon (July 19, 1903 – August 18, 1982) was a

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Harmon was born in

North Vernon, Indiana North Vernon is a city in Jennings County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,608 as of the 2020 census. History North Vernon was originally called Tripton, sometimes referred to as “The Gem of the Midwest” and under the latter na ...

and he graduated from North Vernon High School. Harmon also took extension courses in law and tool engineering. He was employed as a tool engineer with Delco Battery Operations in

Muncie, Indiana Muncie ( ) is an incorporated city and the county seat, seat of Delaware County, Indiana, Delaware County, Indiana. Previously known as Buckongahelas Town, named after the legendary Delaware Chief.http://www.delawarecountyhistory.org/history/docs ...

from 1933 to 1959. Harmon ran for Congress seven times from 1944 to 1956, running from 1944 to 1952 as a Republican and in 1954 and 1956 as a Democrat. He failed to win a Congressional primary once during this time. Due to the Democratic party's landslide victory in the 1958 Congressional elections, Harmon was elected to Congress, defeating incumbent

Ralph Harvey Ralph Harvey (August 9, 1901 – November 7, 1991) was an American politician who served six terms as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1947 to 1959, then again for three more terms from 1961 to 1966. Biography Born on a farm near Mount S ...

. During his term in office, Harmon attracted controversy by putting his wife on the Congressional payroll and declaring his front porch a Congressional district office. Harmon also explored the possibility of running for President in 1960, but he refused to spend money on such a candidacy, and never proceeded to run. Harmon won his primary with 30% of the vote in a field of nine candidates.Our Campaigns
/ref> In the general election, he campaigned with a replica of a front porch on a truck, Harmon lost his bid for re-election in 1960 to Ralph Harvey. After leaving office, Harmon campaigned for Congress in 1962. He then attempted to run for Congress in 1964, but he filed for Congress and the Delaware County Council, and the state ruled that he could run for neither office. Harmon then ran for Congress eight more times from 1968 to 1982, failing to get out of the primary once, before dying in August 1982.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Harmon, Randall S. 1903 births 1982 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana People from North Vernon, Indiana 20th-century American politicians