Longtime Senator Passes Away At 94

Fred Harris, a scion of Oklahoma politics and aspirational presidential candidate, has died at the age of 94, according to his family.

Harris passed away peacefully on Saturday, his wife Margaret Elliston confirmed to the Associated Press and added that his death was due to “natural causes.” No location was given, though the outlet reported that Harris had been living out his final years as a resident in Corrales, New Mexico. “Fred Harris passed peacefully early this morning of natural causes. He was 94. He was a wonderful and beloved man. His memory is a blessing,” Elliston told the outlet in a text message, the Daily Caller reported.

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The New Mexico Democratic Party released a statement in support of the former U.S. senator and longtime resident. “The Democratic Party mourns the loss of one of our greatest giants with the passing of Fred Harris as we remember the seemingly countless contributions he made to our country, party, and New Mexico,” the state party’s account wrote on X. “As DNC Chair, US Senator, activist, author, mentor, and so much more, Democrats everywhere will remember Fred for his unparalleled integrity and as a pioneer for instituting core progressive values of equity and opportunity for prosperity as core tenets of our party.”

The Democratic Party mourns the loss of one of our greatest giants with the passing of Fred Harris as we remember the seemingly countless contributions he made to our country, party, and New Mexico. pic.twitter.com/xYBWvFj5aH

— Democratic Party of New Mexico (@NMDEMS) November 23, 2024

Born in 1930 in Cotton County, Oklahoma, Harris won his first run for elected office to the state Senate where he served until rising to the U.S. Senate in 1964. He championed the end of racial discrimination in state hiring before making a failed run for governor two years prior to winning his first bid for Senate. In that race, he defeated Democratic Gov. J. Howard Edmondson who, despite appointing himself to fill the unexpired term of Robert S. Kerr, lost the Democratic primary. Harris edged out a 51-49% win over legendary Oklahoma Sooners football coach Bud Wilkinson and pushed back against an endorsement of Wilkinson by Richard Nixon. He took office at just 33 years old, making him among the youngest U.S. senators in history.

Harris championed Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs in the Senate, most of which were deeply unpopular in his red state. He served eight years before making runs for the presidency in 1972 and 1976, both times coming up short. He also chaired the Democratic National Committee from 1969 to 1970, elevating his national profile and putting him in consideration for a vice presidential spot with the tickets of Hubert Humphrey in 1968 and Sen. George McGovern (D-SD) in 1972.

Following his retirement from politics, Harris lived in New Mexico for more than three decades, teaching political science at the state’s flagship university while writing and editing nearly two dozen published works, the Washington Post reported. He joked about ascetic academia, “It keeps you out of the pool hall, as we used to say back home.”

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