Wofford, Harris, 1926-2019

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Harris Llewellyn Wofford Jr. (April 9, 1926 – January 21, 2019) was an American attorney, civil rights activist, academic, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he notably served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania between 1991 and 1995.

Born in Manhattan and raised in Johnson City, Tennessee and Scarsdale, New York, he founded the Student Federalists while a student at Scarsdale High School. From 1944 to 1945 he served in the United States Air Force, and then attended the University of Chicago where he received his A.B. degree in 1948. He studied law at both Yale University and Howard University and was awarded an LL.B. degree from each institution. He served as Special Assistant to Chester Bowles from 1953 to 1954. From 1954 to 1958 he practiced law in Washington, D.C. before teaching as an Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School. Wofford played a key role in the civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and later served as trustee to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violet Social Change. Under President Eisenhower, he was counsel to the Reverend Theodore Hesburgh of the University of Notre Dame on the first United States Commission on Civil Rights. During the John F. Kennedy administration, he was a Special Assistant to the President and chaired the subcabinet group on civil rights. While on the White House staff, Wofford helped Sargent Shriver plan and organize the Peace Corps; in 1962, he became the Peace Corps’ Special Representative to Africa and director of its large Ethiopia program. He later earned the role of Peace Corps Associate Director under President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Wofford served as president at the State College of New York (SUNY) at Old Westbury from 1966 to 1970 as well as at Bryn Mawr College from 1970 to 1978. He practiced law in Philadelphia at the Schnader, Harrison, Segal and Lewis firm from 1980 to 1986 and also re-entered politics by serving as a member of the Democratic National Platform Committee and fundraising for Senator Edward Kennedy in 1980, serving on Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode’s finance committee in 1983, helping to draft the Democratic party’s arms control platform in 1984, and managing Alan Cranston’s 1984 Presidential campaign. Wofford went on the serve as Pennsylvania State Democratic Chairman in 1986 before Governor Robert Casey appointed him as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Labor and Industry from 1987 to 1991. After the passing of Pennsylvania Sewnator John Heinz, Governor Bob Casey appointed Wofford to the seat on May 9, 1991. In November 1991, Wofford won an upset victory, defeating former Gov. and sitting Attorney General Richard Thornburgh in the special election to fill the remainder of Sen. Heinz’s term until 1994. Wofford’s campaign helped establish many of the foundational themes incorporated in Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential election victory, such as focus on the economy and health care. In 1993, Senator Wofford worked with President Clinton’s task force on drafting and passing the National and Community Service Trust Act, which created AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National Service. During his time in the Senate, Wofford was a leader in the effort to secure universal health insurance. With Congressman John Lewis, he also co-authored the legislation establishing the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a day for volunteer service. During his 1994 bid for re-election, Wofford narrowly lost to Republican Congressman Rick Santorum and thus completed his Senate term on January 3, 1995.

In 1995, President Clinton appointed Wofford as CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service with the specific assignment of rebuilding bipartisan support for AmeriCorps and national service. As part of his work at the Corporation, Wofford was instrumental in organizing the Presidents' Summit for America's Future in Philadelphia, which brought together all of the living Presidents, many governors and mayors, and more than 3,000 delegates across the country. The 1997 summit led to the creation of America's Promise, The Alliance for Youth, with General Colin Powell as its initial chairman, a position Wofford assumed in 2001. Wofford later served as co-chair with Alma Powell until June 2004 and remained active on the board of directors for years afterward. From 2001, Wofford served on the boards of several charities and service organizations, including America's Promise, Youth Service America and the Points of Light Foundation. He was a trustee to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change. Between 2007 and 2009, Wofford was the national spokesperson for Experience Wave, a national campaign that sought to advance state and federal policies to make it easier for mid-life and older adults to stay engaged in work and community life. From 2012 to 2015, Wofford served as a Senior Advisor to the Franklin Project, a policy program of the Aspen Institute that sought to make a year of service a common opportunity and expectation for young Americans.

Wofford died at age 92 in Washington, D.C. of complications from a fall.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Papers, 1917-1977 Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America‏
creatorOf Papers of John F. Kennedy: Presidential Papers: White House Staff Files of Harris Wofford, 1961 - 1962. Civil Rights Progress Reports, 1961 - 1962 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Pew Charitable Trusts. Office of the President. Records of Rebecca W. Rimel, 1994-1997. Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn General Records of the Department of Justice, 1790 - 2002. Subject Files of the Attorney General, 1974 - 1993 National Archives at College Park
creatorOf Wofford, Harris. A Cold War odyssey [manuscript] : story of the foundation for world government, ca. 1965. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Fuller, Lon L. Lon L. Fuller papers. 1926-1977. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Guide to the Daily Worker and Daily World Photographs Collection, 1920-2001 Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
referencedIn Chester Bowles papers, 1924-1982 Yale University. Department of Manuscripts and Archives
referencedIn Pew Charitable Trusts. Office of the Executive Director. Records of Rebecca W. Rimel, 1988- Hagley Museum & Library
referencedIn Student Federalists records, 1942-2003, 1942-1952 New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn Jacob "Jack" Lew's Files , ca. 1994 - ca. 1994 William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
creatorOf Wofford, Harris. Wofford, Harris : [oral history interview]. Texas A&M University, Evans Library & Annex; Main campus library complex
referencedIn Blaine, Anita McCormick. Correspondence and papers, 1828-1958. Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project
referencedIn R. Buckminster Fuller Papers Stanford University. Department of Special Collections and University Archives
referencedIn Archives, 1965-1990. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
creatorOf Harris Wofford papers Bryn Mawr College
creatorOf Papers of John F. Kennedy: Presidential Papers: White House Staff Files of Harris Wofford, 1961 - 1962. Speeches, 1961 - 1962 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Scott Millross Buchanan papers, 1911-1972. Houghton Library
creatorOf White House Staff Records (Kennedy Administration), 1960 - 1963. White House Staff Files of Harris Wofford, 1961 - 1963 John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf Papers of John F. Kennedy: Presidential Papers: White House Staff Files of Harris Wofford, 1961 - 1962. Alphabetical Files, 1961 - 1962 John F. Kennedy Library
referencedIn Sargent Shriver Papers. 1948 - 1976. Peace Corps Files John F. Kennedy Library
creatorOf Wofford, Harris. Harris Wofford : commercials, 1991. University of Oklahoma, Political Community Archives
referencedIn Paul A. Freund papers Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Young World Federalists. Student Federalists records, 1942-2003 (bulk 1942-1952). New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Thornburgh, Dick. Dick Thornburgh papers. Series XIV, Campaign for United States Senate, 1991. University of Pittsburgh
referencedIn Atlanta Urban League. Executive Director Robert A. Thompson administrative files, 1949-1965. Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library
referencedIn Office Files of Bill Moyers (Johnson Administration). 1961 - 1967. Office Files of Bill Moyers Lyndon Baines Johnson Library
referencedIn Paul Goodman papers, 1925-1983. Houghton Library
creatorOf Sargent Shriver Papers. 1948 - 1976. Peace Corps Files John F. Kennedy Library
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Audiovisual Material, 1961 - 1962 John F. Kennedy Library
Relation Name
associatedWith Atlanta Urban League. corporateBody
associatedWith Bernhard, Berl, 1929- person
associatedWith Blaine, Anita McCormick. person
associatedWith Bowles, Chester, 1901-1986. person
leaderOf Bryn Mawr college corporateBody
correspondedWith Buchanan, Scott Millross, 1895-1968 person
associatedWith Casey, Robert P. (Robert Patrick), 1932-2000 person
associatedWith Communist Party of the United States of America. corporateBody
leaderOf Corporation for National and Community Service (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Fuller, Lon L., 1902- person
associatedWith Fuller, R. Buckminster (Richard Buckminster), 1895-1983 person
correspondedWith Goodman, Paul, 1911-1972 person
associatedWith Hackman, Larry A. person
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Howard University. School of law corporateBody
associatedWith John F. Kennedy Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 person
associatedWith Kennedy, Robert F., 1925-1968 person
associatedWith Miller, Helen Hill, 1899- person
associatedWith Paul A. Freund person
founderOf Peace Corps (U.S.) corporateBody
associatedWith Pew Charitable Trusts. Office of the Executive Director. corporateBody
associatedWith Pew Charitable Trusts. Office of the President. corporateBody
leaderOf State University of New York/College at Old Westbury. corporateBody
founderOf Student Federalists corporateBody
associatedWith Thornburgh, Dick. person
associatedWith United States corporateBody
memberOf United States. Congress. Senate corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf University of Chicago. corporateBody
associatedWith University of Oklahoma. Political Commercial Archive. corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Yale Law School corporateBody
associatedWith Young World Federalists. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Scarsdale NY US
Bryn Mawr PA US
Johnson City TN US
New York City NY US
Philadelphia PA US
Notre Dame IN US
District of Columbia DC US
New Haven CT US
Subject
Advertising, political
International organization
Television advertising
Occupation
Chief executive officers
Civil rights activists
Federal Government Official
Lawyers
University presidents
Professors (teacher)
Senators, U.S. Congress
Soldiers
State Government Appointee
Activity

Person

Birth 1926-04-09

Death 2019-01-21

Male

Americans

English

Information

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