The life of Rotary founder
Paul Harris
By Lauren Kalal
and Stephanie Giordano
Rotary News -- 19 April 2013
Rotary News -- 19 April 2013
Born in
Racine, Wisconsin, USA, on 19 April 1868, Paul P. Harris was the second of six
children of George N. and Cornelia Bryan Harris.
Harris as a young lawyer in Chicago, 1896 |
At age three, he moved to Wallingford, Vermont, where he grew up
in the care of his paternal grandparents, Howard and Pamela Harris. He attended
the University of Vermont and Princeton University and received his law degree
from the University of Iowa in 1891.
While he was in school, both of Harris's grandparents died, and
he spent the five years after graduation traveling around the country and
working odd jobs. After arriving penniless in San Francisco in 1891, he worked
as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and then as a ranch hand, grape
picker, actor, and cowboy. He was also a hotel night clerk in Jacksonville,
Florida, and a traveling marble and granite salesman.
In 1896, he settled in Chicago and opened a law practice. Along
with Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram Shorey, he founded the Rotary
Club of Chicago in 1905 and was elected its president in 1907.
Club membership grew rapidly. Many members were originally from
small towns and found an opportunity for fellowship in the Chicago club. Harris
was convinced that the club could be expanded into a service movement and
strove to extend Rotary to other communities.
In 1910, he met Jean Thomson during an outing with the Prairie
Club, a Chicago-based organization for wilderness enthusiasts. Harris and
Thomson married three months later and settled on Chicago's South Side.
In the same year, the National Association of Rotary Clubs was
formed, and Harris was elected its first president. He held the office for two
years and afterward became president emeritus, serving as the public face of
the organization and promoting membership extension and service around the world.
Harris in his office at Rotary headquarters
in
1945. He served as the public face
of the organization after his presidency.
|
He wrote several books about Rotary and his life and travels,
including The Founder of Rotary and This Rotarian Age.
In addition to his work with Rotary, Harris was involved in
other civic organizations, including the Chicago Association of Commerce and
Industry, City Club of Chicago, Chicago Bar Association, Prairie Club, and
Easter Seals. He was also recognized by the Boy Scouts of America and honored
by the governments of Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Peru.
Harris died on 27 January 1947, leaving a rich legacy of
fellowship, professionalism, service, and friendship. His passing also sparked
an outpouring of donations to The Rotary Foundation from all over the world,
allowing the Foundation to greatly expand its programs and services.
- In honor of Paul Harris's birthday, listen to an excerpt of his address to the 1933 convention and read a quote on Rotary Voices
- Learn more about Rotary's founder in the Life and times of Paul Harris.
- For more information about Rotary history, visit Rotary History and Archives or the Rotary Global History Fellowship.
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