Francis Harmon was born in Paulding, Mississippi in 1895. He served in France in World War I and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1922. He then returned to Mississippi and became editor of a newspaper in Hattiesburg. Harmon served as chairman of the Mississippi State YMCA Committee for five years in the mid-1920s. In 1924 he became a member of the National Council and in 1929 he was elected its president. In 1932 he succeeded John Mott as general secretary for the International Committee. After a twenty-five year interlude when he worked in the motion picture industry, he returned to YMCA work. In 1960 he became director of the New York City association and guided it through a merger with the Brooklyn association to form the YMCA of Greater New York.
From the description of Francis S. Harmon papers, 1929-1968. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62701597
