Winder Russell Harris (December 3, 1888 – February 24, 1973) was an American journalist, civil servant, and politician who served as 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

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 ...

from 1941 to 1944.

Early life and career

Born in Wake County (now a part of

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

), North Carolina, Harris attended the public schools and St. Mary's College (now

Belmont Abbey College Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. It was founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey. The school is affiliated with the Catholic Church and the Order of Saint Benedict. I ...

Belmont, North Carolina Belmont is a small suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about west of uptown Charlotte and east of Gastonia. The population was 10,076 at the 2010 census. Once known as Garibaldi Station, it was named for th ...

. He served in various editorial positions on newspapers in North Carolina and Virginia from 1908 to 1918. He then turned to a career in civil service, working as a member of the staff of Universal Service 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, ...

from 1918 to 1925. He served as assistant secretary to the American delegation to the International Narcotics Congress in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, in 1924 and 1925. Returning to journalism, he was managing editor of the ''

Virginian-Pilot ''The Virginian-Pilot'' is the daily newspaper for Norfolk, Virginia. Commonly known as ''The Pilot'', it is Virginia's largest daily. It serves the five cities of South Hampton Roads as well as several smaller towns across southeast Virginia ...

'',

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

from 1925 to 1941.

U.S. House

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 Seventy-seventh Congress, on April 8, 1941 in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Colgate W. Darden, Jr. He was re-elected to the Seventy-eighth Congress and served until his resignation on September 15, 1944.

After Congress

He was the vice president of the Shipbuilders' Council of America, in

, until his retirement on December 31, 1958. He also served as vice chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority from September 1955 until his resignation in November 1961. He was editor of the ''Alexandria Journal'', the ''Arlington Journal'', and the ''Fairfax County Journal-Standard'' until his retirement in March 1966.

Retirement and death

He resided in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, until his death on February 24, 1973. He was interred in Oakwood Cemetery,

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

. His grandson, David S. Bill III, became a

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

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 ...

Electoral history

*1941; Harris was elected to Congress defeating Independent Democrat Norman P. Hamilton, Independent Maurice S. McCarty, and Prohibitionist Andrew J. Dunning, Jr., winning 49.17% of the vote. *1942; Harris was re-elected unopposed.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Winder Russell 1888 births 1973 deaths Belmont Abbey College alumni People from Wake County, North Carolina Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia 20th-century American newspaper editors American male journalists Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia Journalists from North Carolina Journalists from Virginia Burials at Historic Oakwood Cemetery 20th-century American politicians