On Saturday, November 23, 2024, former U.S. Senator Fred Harris of Oklahoma and one-time Democratic presidential candidate, passed away at the age of 94. His demise was confirmed by his wife, Margaret Elliston, who said, “Fred Harris passed peacefully early this morning of natural causes. He was 94. He was a wonderful and beloved man. His memory is a blessing.”
Originally from a humble background, Harris was born on November 13, 1930, in a small farmhouse near Walters, Oklahoma. At the tender age of five, he would earn 10 cents a day driving a horse in circles to power a hay baler on the family farm.
Harris first stepped into politics with the Oklahoma State Senate, where he served from 1956 to 1964. He then ascended to the U.S. Senate in 1964, following a special election to fill the seat left vacant by the late Senator Robert S. Kerr. Harris was re-elected in 1966 and continued to serve until 1973.
During his tenure as the Democratic National Committee chairman from 1969 to 1970, Harris was instrumental in reforming the party’s delegate selection process. His efforts led to increased representation of women and minorities as convention delegates and in leadership roles. When reflecting on these changes in 2004, Harris stated, “I think it’s worked wonderfully. It’s made the selection much more legitimate and democratic.”
Additionally, Harris was a member of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission, appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to examine the causes of urban race riots in the 1960s. The commission’s landmark report in 1968 observed, “Our nation is moving toward two societies—separate and unequal.”
After an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1976, Harris relocated to New Mexico. He took up a role as a political science professor at the University of New Mexico and authored or edited more than a dozen books, primarily on politics and Congress.
Throughout his life, Harris was a staunch advocate for civil rights and anti-poverty programs. Alongside his first wife, LaDonna, a Comanche, he was deeply involved in addressing Native American issues. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham lauded Harris’s contributions to their state and the nation, noting, “In addition to being a highly accomplished politician and professor, he was a decent, honorable man who treated everyone with warmth, generosity, and good humor.”
News of Harris’s death was met with deep sadness by leaders across New Mexico, as well as his former students and colleagues from the University of New Mexico. Harris was remembered as a talented Democratic legislator, a prolific author, and an inspirational teacher, leaving a lasting impression on all who knew him. Expressions of grief poured in from many quarters.
U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury remembered Harris as a committed advocate for public service, who inspired countless individuals to follow his lead. U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján acknowledged Harris’s national recognition as a senator, chairman, and professor, but to New Mexicans, he was cherished as a friend and mentor.
Harris is survived by his wife, Margaret Elliston, and his three children from his first marriage: Kathryn, Byron, and Laura.
