Pat Harrison
Encyclopedia
Byron Patton "Pat" Harrison (August 29, 1881 June 22, 1941) was a Mississippi
politician who served as a Democrat
in the United States House of Representatives
from 1911 to 1919 and in the United States Senate
from 1919 until his death.
. His father was a Confederate veteran of the Civil War and died in 1885. As a child, Harrison sold newspapers to supplement his family's income. After graduating as class valedictorian from Crystal Springs High School in 1899, he attended a summer term at the University of Mississippi
before transferring to Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge on a baseball scholarship. He dropped out after two years due to a lack of funds but was brought on to pitch for the Pickens, Mississippi, semiprofessional baseball team in the Old Tomato League summer circuit. After his stint in semiprofessional baseball, Harrison moved to Leakseville, Mississippi, where he taught and later became principal of the local high school. While supporting himself as an educator, Harrison studied law. He passed the Mississippi State Bar and opened a law practice in 1902.
. He served as district attorney until being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1910. The 1910 election introduced Harrison as a skilled orator and witty debater, a reputation he maintained throughout his political career. Newspaper editor Clayton Rand described his longtime friend's oratory style as "an eloquence that flowed like a babbling brook through a field of flowers."
. In particular, Harrison supported Wilson's New Freedom
policies and those concerning Mexico and Germany at the onset of America's involvement in World War I
. In 1918, he ran against incumbent U.S. Senator James K. Vardaman
who opposed Wilson's foreign policy. In return for Harrison's past support, President Wilson personally endorsed him for Senator. Already popular among his constituents, Harrison emphasized his differences with Vardaman and won over a majority of Mississippi voters. After winning Vardaman's senate seat in 1918, Harrison was re-elected for another three terms. He ran unopposed in 1930 for his third term in the U.S. Senate.
A supporter and former law partner of Theodore G. Bilbo
, Stewart C. "Sweep Clean" Broom surprisingly aided Harrison's 1936 reelection campaign by giving a well-received speech encouraging "Bilbo folks" to save Bilbo "from his own blunder." Despite having received past help from Harrison, Bilbo actively supported Martin Sennett Conner
for Harrison's Senate seat, presumably as a self-serving political maneuver. Broom's speech is documented in Time magazine.
As chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, Harrison was one of the three or four key people behind the creation of the Social Security
system in 1935. He promoted low tariffs and reciprocal trade agreements. When the Senate majority leader’s job opened up in 1937, Harrison was expected to win the position, but nose counts put him in a near tie with Kentucky’s Alben Barkley. Harrison’s campaign manager asked Bilbo, the junior member from Mississippi, to consider voting for his fellow Mississippian. Bilbo, a race-baiting demagogue whose base was among tenant farmers, hated the upper-class Harrison, who represented the rich planters. The rivalry between the two was further established over years of disagreement over aspects of the New Deal and how federal money should distributed throughout Mississippi. Bilbo said he would vote for Harrison only if he were personally asked. Harrison replied, “Tell the son of a bitch I wouldn’t speak to him even if it meant the presidency of the United States.” Despite Harrison's support for Roosevelt and his policies, shortly before the vote, the president wrote a letter of support for Barkley. When the ballots were in, Pat Harrison lost by one vote, 37-to-38.
Harrison served on the Senate Finance Committee and was chairman of that body from 1933 to 1941 (Seventy-third through Seventy-seventh Congresses) and served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Seventy-seventh Congress. He was also a supporter of the Conservative coalition
.
for President and campaigned for him across the South.
Harrison became known as the "Gadfly of the Senate" due to his oratory rebuking of Republican policies.
At the 1932 Democratic convention, he swung the Mississippi delegation to Franklin D. Roosevelt
on the crucial third ballot and became welcome at the White House.
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
politician who served as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1911 to 1919 and in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from 1919 until his death.
Early life and education
Pat Harrison was born at Crystal Springs, MississippiCrystal Springs, Mississippi
Crystal Springs is a city in Copiah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,873 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Crystal Springs is located at ....
. His father was a Confederate veteran of the Civil War and died in 1885. As a child, Harrison sold newspapers to supplement his family's income. After graduating as class valedictorian from Crystal Springs High School in 1899, he attended a summer term at the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
before transferring to Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge on a baseball scholarship. He dropped out after two years due to a lack of funds but was brought on to pitch for the Pickens, Mississippi, semiprofessional baseball team in the Old Tomato League summer circuit. After his stint in semiprofessional baseball, Harrison moved to Leakseville, Mississippi, where he taught and later became principal of the local high school. While supporting himself as an educator, Harrison studied law. He passed the Mississippi State Bar and opened a law practice in 1902.
Legal and political career
In 1906, Harrison was elected district attorney to the Second Judicial District, and in 1908, moved to Gulfport, MississippiGulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...
. He served as district attorney until being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1910. The 1910 election introduced Harrison as a skilled orator and witty debater, a reputation he maintained throughout his political career. Newspaper editor Clayton Rand described his longtime friend's oratory style as "an eloquence that flowed like a babbling brook through a field of flowers."
Political career
After four years as district attorney on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Harrison won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1911 and was re-elected three times. One of the youngest members of the House, Harrison made his mark as an effective debater against Republican tariff and tax policies and soon became a favored aide to President Woodrow WilsonWoodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
. In particular, Harrison supported Wilson's New Freedom
New Freedom
New Freedom may refer to:*New Freedom, Pennsylvania, a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States*New Freedom, New Jersey, an unincorporated community in Camden County, New Jersey, United States...
policies and those concerning Mexico and Germany at the onset of America's involvement in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In 1918, he ran against incumbent U.S. Senator James K. Vardaman
James K. Vardaman
James Kimble Vardaman was an American politician from the state of Mississippi, serving as Governor of Mississippi from 1904 to 1908 and in the U.S. Senate from 1913 to 1919. Vardaman, known as "The Great White Chief", advocated white supremacy...
who opposed Wilson's foreign policy. In return for Harrison's past support, President Wilson personally endorsed him for Senator. Already popular among his constituents, Harrison emphasized his differences with Vardaman and won over a majority of Mississippi voters. After winning Vardaman's senate seat in 1918, Harrison was re-elected for another three terms. He ran unopposed in 1930 for his third term in the U.S. Senate.
A supporter and former law partner of Theodore G. Bilbo
Theodore G. Bilbo
Theodore Gilmore Bilbo was an American politician. Bilbo, a Democrat, twice served as governor of Mississippi and later was elected a U.S. Senator . A master of filibuster and scathing rhetoric, a rough-and-tumble fighter in debate, he made his name a synonym for white supremacy...
, Stewart C. "Sweep Clean" Broom surprisingly aided Harrison's 1936 reelection campaign by giving a well-received speech encouraging "Bilbo folks" to save Bilbo "from his own blunder." Despite having received past help from Harrison, Bilbo actively supported Martin Sennett Conner
Martin Sennett Conner
Martin Sennett Conner was an American lawyer, politician, and college sports administrator. Conner served as the Governor of Mississippi from 1932 to 1936, serving as a Democrat.-Biography:...
for Harrison's Senate seat, presumably as a self-serving political maneuver. Broom's speech is documented in Time magazine.
As chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, Harrison was one of the three or four key people behind the creation of the Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
system in 1935. He promoted low tariffs and reciprocal trade agreements. When the Senate majority leader’s job opened up in 1937, Harrison was expected to win the position, but nose counts put him in a near tie with Kentucky’s Alben Barkley. Harrison’s campaign manager asked Bilbo, the junior member from Mississippi, to consider voting for his fellow Mississippian. Bilbo, a race-baiting demagogue whose base was among tenant farmers, hated the upper-class Harrison, who represented the rich planters. The rivalry between the two was further established over years of disagreement over aspects of the New Deal and how federal money should distributed throughout Mississippi. Bilbo said he would vote for Harrison only if he were personally asked. Harrison replied, “Tell the son of a bitch I wouldn’t speak to him even if it meant the presidency of the United States.” Despite Harrison's support for Roosevelt and his policies, shortly before the vote, the president wrote a letter of support for Barkley. When the ballots were in, Pat Harrison lost by one vote, 37-to-38.
Harrison served on the Senate Finance Committee and was chairman of that body from 1933 to 1941 (Seventy-third through Seventy-seventh Congresses) and served as President pro tempore of the Senate during the Seventy-seventh Congress. He was also a supporter of the Conservative coalition
Conservative coalition
In the United States, the conservative coalition was an unofficial Congressional coalition bringing together the conservative majority of the Republican Party and the conservative, mostly Southern, wing of the Democratic Party...
.
Political reputation
Harrison was a highly effective politician and a brilliant orator. He listened to his district and provided information, services, and patronage. Due to his ability to maneuver though the political landscape and because he was well-liked by many of his fellow politicians, Harrison became rather influential in both legislation and political endorsement. In 1928, he supported New York Governor Al SmithAl Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York three times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928...
for President and campaigned for him across the South.
Harrison became known as the "Gadfly of the Senate" due to his oratory rebuking of Republican policies.
At the 1932 Democratic convention, he swung the Mississippi delegation to Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
on the crucial third ballot and became welcome at the White House.
External links
- The Pat Harrison Collection (MUM00222) and Pat Harrison portraits can be found at the University of Mississippi in the Archives and Special Collections