Harris Wofford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Harris Wofford
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Wofford as a U.S. Senator
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| Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service | |
| In office 1995–2001 |
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| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Eli J. Segal |
| Succeeded by | Leslie Lenkowsky |
| United States Senator from Pennsylvania |
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| In office May 8, 1991 – January 3, 1995 |
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| Preceded by | John Heinz |
| Succeeded by | Rick Santorum |
| Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry | |
| In office March 23, 1987 – May 8, 1991 |
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| Governor | Bob Casey Sr. |
| Preceded by | James Knepper |
| Succeeded by | Tom Foley |
| Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party | |
| In office June 28, 1986 – December 6, 1986 |
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| Preceded by | Edward Mezvinsky |
| Succeeded by | Larry Yatch |
| 5th President of Bryn Mawr College | |
| In office 1970–1978 |
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| Preceded by | Katharine Elizabeth McBride |
| Succeeded by | Mary Patterson McPherson |
| President of the State University of New York at Old Westbury | |
| In office 1966–1970 |
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| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | John D. Maguire |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Harris Llewellyn Wofford Jr.
April 9, 1926 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 21, 2019 (aged 92) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
Clare Lindgren
(m. 1948; died 1996)Matthew Charlton
(m. 2016) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Chicago (BA) Howard University Yale University (LLB) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Unit |  United States Air Force |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Harris Llewellyn Wofford Jr. (April 9, 1926 – January 21, 2019) was an American lawyer and activist. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Wofford represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1991 to 1995. He was known for supporting national service and volunteering. Wofford also served as president of Bryn Mawr College and held important roles in the Pennsylvania state government. He was a strong supporter of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Harris Wofford was born in 1926 in Manhattan, New York City. His family was well-known and wealthy. When he was 11, he traveled the world with his grandmother for six months. They visited places like Bethlehem and Shanghai. In India, Wofford became very interested in Mahatma Gandhi's ideas. In Rome, they saw Benito Mussolini announce Italy's exit from the League of Nations.
While attending Scarsdale High School, Wofford was inspired by Clarence Streit. He founded the Student Federalists, an organization that grew very quickly. He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After the war, he graduated from the University of Chicago in 1948.
Wofford spent eight months in India studying Gandhi's work. When he returned to America, he attended Howard Law School, which was a historically Black university. He was the first white male student there. He finished his law studies at Yale Law School in 1954.
He began his public service career in 1957. He worked as a legal assistant for Rev. Theodore Hesburgh on the United States Commission on Civil Rights. In 1959, he became a law professor at the University of Notre Dame. Wofford was an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s. He became a friend and unofficial advisor to Martin Luther King Jr.. Wofford was raised Episcopalian and later became Catholic in the 1980s.
Working with President Kennedy
Wofford first met John F. Kennedy in 1947. In 1960, Kennedy asked Wofford to join his presidential campaign. Wofford worked with Sargent Shriver to gain support from African American voters.
When Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed before the election, Wofford and Shriver convinced Kennedy to call King's wife, Coretta Scott King. She was pregnant, and her husband faced harsh labor for a minor traffic violation. This phone call helped convince Martin Luther King Sr. to support Kennedy. Wofford and other Kennedy aides created a pamphlet about the call. About 2 million copies were shared, mostly through African American churches. This had a huge impact on Black voters.
In 1961, Kennedy appointed Wofford as a Special Assistant for Civil Rights. He also helped create the Peace Corps, a program where Americans volunteer to help people in other countries. Wofford served as the Peace Corps' special representative to Africa. He also directed operations in Ethiopia. From 1964 to 1966, he was an associate director of the Peace Corps. He also took part in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965. Wofford wrote a book called Of Kennedys and Kings: Making Sense of the Sixties. It tells about his time in the civil rights movement and the Peace Corps.
Academic and Legal Work
In 1966, Wofford left politics to become president of the State University of New York at Old Westbury. In 1970, he became president of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. He held this position until 1978.
After his time at Bryn Mawr, Wofford joined a law firm called Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP in 1978. He worked in private law practice in Philadelphia for seven years.
Political Career in Pennsylvania
In 1986, Wofford served as the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. In March 1987, Pennsylvania Governor Bob Casey Sr. appointed him as the state's Secretary of Labor and Industry.
Becoming a U.S. Senator
On April 4, 1991, Pennsylvania's U.S. Senator, H. John Heinz III, died in a plane crash. The governor had to appoint someone to fill the seat until a special election could be held. Governor Casey appointed Wofford to the seat on May 8, 1991. Wofford had thought about running for office before, but the timing was never right. He became the first Democrat to represent Pennsylvania in the Senate since 1969.
In the special election in November 1991, Wofford ran against Dick Thornburgh. Thornburgh was a former Pennsylvania Governor and U.S. Attorney General. Wofford started the campaign far behind in the polls. Many people thought he had no chance to win. But he surprised everyone by winning by ten percentage points. His victory was seen as a turning point for President George H. W. Bush's political future.
Wofford's campaign was managed by Paul Begala and James Carville. Their success brought them national attention. Wofford's campaign focused on the idea of universal healthcare. This helped make healthcare reform a big topic in national discussions. Themes like the economy and health care were also important in Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential election victory.
1994 Senate Election
Wofford lost his bid for a full term in 1994. He was defeated by Rick Santorum, a Republican who was 32 years younger than him. Santorum won 49% to 47%. This election was part of the "Republican Revolution" that year. Many Democrats lost their seats in the United States Congress during this time.
Later Career and Activities
From 1995 to 2001, Wofford was the chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service. This is a federal agency that runs programs like AmeriCorps, which helps people volunteer in their communities.
In 2005, he met Barack Obama. They became friends. When Obama gave his famous speech on race in America, "A More Perfect Union", Wofford introduced him.
Wofford continued to be involved in public service. He served on the boards of several charities and service organizations. These included America's Promise and the Points of Light Foundation. He was also a trustee for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change. From 2007 to 2009, Wofford was a national spokesperson for Experience Wave. This campaign worked to help older adults stay involved in work and community life.
Wofford was also a board member of Malaria No More. This group works to end deaths caused by malaria. He served as a senior fellow at the Case Foundation. From 2012 to 2015, Wofford was a Senior Advisor to the Franklin Project. This program aimed to make a year of service a common opportunity for young Americans. In 2014, The New Republic magazine featured Wofford in an article called "The Man Who Was Everywhere."
Personal Life
In 1948, Wofford married Clare Lindgren. They had three children together. Clare Wofford passed away in January 1996 at age 69.
In April 2016, at the age of 90, Wofford announced he would marry Matthew Charlton. Charlton was an interior designer and had been Wofford's companion since 2001. That month, Wofford wrote an article in The New York Times called "Finding Love Again, This Time With a Man." Wofford and Charlton were married that year.
Harris Wofford died on January 21, 2019, in Washington, D.C., at age 92. He passed away from complications after a fall. About 1,000 people attended his memorial service at Howard University in March 2019. Many people spoke at the service, including his husband, children, and former President Bill Clinton.
Awards and Recognition
- In 2002, Wofford received the John W. Gardner Leadership Award.
- In 2011, the National Peace Corps Association created the Harris Wofford Global Citizen Award. This award is given each year to a global leader who grew up in a country where Peace Corps Volunteers served. The award honors someone whose life's work shows the Peace Corps values of service, peace, and understanding.
- In 2012, Wofford was given the Presidential Citizens Medal. This is a high honor given by the President of the United States.
- In 2015, Wofford was an honored speaker at a memorial for Rev. Theodore Hesburgh.
Images for kids
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Harris Wofford's signature
See also
In Spanish: Harris Wofford para niños
- List of LGBT members of the United States Congress
