Harris Wofford 749976 221575405 2008-06-25T03:20:04Z XLinkBot 6163802 BOT--Reverting edits by [[:en:Special:Contributions/68.50.216.187|68.50.216.187]] to revision 221335441 (youtube\.com) {{nofootnotes}} {{Infobox_Senator |name=Harris Wofford |image name=harriswofford.jpg |jr/sr=United States Senator |state=[[Pennsylvania]] |term=[[May 9]], [[1991]] – [[January 3]], [[1995]] |preceded=[[H. John Heinz III]] |succeeded=[[Rick Santorum]] |date of birth= {{birth date and age|1926|04|9}} |place of birth=[[New York City, New York]] |date of death= |place of death= |spouse= |religion= |party=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |}} '''Harris Llewellyn Wofford''' (born [[April 9]], [[1926]]) served as a Democratic [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] from [[Pennsylvania]] from 1991 to 1995, the fifth president of [[Bryn Mawr College]], and is a well recognized advocate of national service and volunteering. Sen. Wofford serves as a surrogate for Senator [[Barack Obama]]'s campaign for President. Sen. Wofford introduced Sen. Obama in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center before Sen. Obama gave his speech on race in America, "[[A More Perfect Union]]." ==Biography== Harris Wofford was born in [[New York City]] in 1926. While attending [[Scarsdale High School|high school]]<ref> {{cite news | title = "The Eyes of a Schoolboy"| publisher = [[Time (magazine)|Time]]| date = [[November 20]], [[1944]]|url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,796807,00.html}} </ref>, he was inspired by [[Clarence Streit]]'s plea for a [[world government]] to found the [[Student Federalists]].<ref>{{cite news |last = Lillenthal|first = David E., Jr|coauthors = |title = Brass Tacks|publisher = [[The Harvard Crimson]]|date = [[March 11]], [[1949]]|url = http://thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=475100}}</ref> After attending the [[University of Chicago]], he attended law school at [[Yale University|Yale]] and [[Howard University]]. He served in the [[United States Army Air Forces]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]]. He began his public service career as an [[attorney]] for the [[United States Commission on Civil Rights]], serving from 1954 to 1958. In 1959, he became a law professor at [[University of Notre Dame]]. He was an early supporter of the [[American Civil Rights movement|Civil Rights movement]] in the south in the late 1950s and became a friend and unofficial advisor to [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]]. ==Kennedy administration== Wofford's political career began in 1960 when he served as an advisor to the presidential campaign of [[John F. Kennedy]]. When King was imprisoned shortly before the election, Wofford persuaded Kennedy to call King's wife and offer his support — a move that helped shift the African American vote decisively in Kennedy's favor and may have won him the election. In 1961, Kennedy appointed him as a special assistant to the President on civil rights. He also served as chairman of the Subcabinet Group on Civil Rights. He was instrumental in the formation of the [[Peace Corps]] and served as the Peace Corps' special representative to [[Africa]] and director of operations in [[Ethiopia]]. He was appointed associate director of the Peace Corps in 1962 and held that position until 1966. Wofford's book ''Of Kennedys and Kings: Making Sense of the Sixties'' details his years in the civil rights movement and the creation of the Peace Corps. ==Private practice== In 1966, Wofford left politics to become president of the [[State University of New York at Old Westbury]]. At the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, Wofford risked his career by allowing himself to be arrested in protest of police brutality. In 1970, he became president of [[Bryn Mawr College]] in Pennsylvania and held that post until 1978. ==Pennsylvania political career== After spending seven years in private law practice and one year as state chairman of the Democratic Party, Wofford was appointed by [[Governor of Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania Governor]] [[Robert P. Casey|Bob Casey]] as the state's Secretary of Labor and Industry in 1987. On [[April 4]], [[1991]], Pennsylvania's senior U.S. Senator, [[H. John Heinz III|John Heinz]], died in an aviation accident leaving his seat in the U.S. Senate open. By law, the Pennsylvania governor was required to appoint a replacement until a special election could be held for the seat. After considering several potential candidates, including [[Allentown, Pennsylvania]], native [[Lee Iacocca]], who turned down the job, Governor Casey appointed Wofford to the seat on [[May 9]], [[1991]]. In the [[United States Senate special election in Pennsylvania, 1991|special election]] held in November 1991, Wofford faced [[Dick Thornburgh]], the former Pennsylvania governor and [[U.S. Attorney General]] under Presidents [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] and [[George H. W. Bush]]. (Candidates for this special election were chosen by the party committees because the vacancy had happened too late to set up a primary.) Wofford began the campaign so far behind in the polls that most pundits assumed he had no chance of winning. His eventual victory over the former governor by ten percentage points surprised many. His campaign was run by [[Paul Begala]] and [[James Carville]], and their dramatic success brought them to national attention. The campaign was also a proving ground for many of the themes that would underlie [[Bill Clinton]]'s [[U.S. presidential election, 1992|1992 victory]] such as the focus on the [[Economic system|economy]] and [[health care]]. He was considered for the [[Vice President of the United States|vice presidential]] nomination, although Clinton would ultimately choose [[Al Gore]]. In May [[1993]], Wofford received an honorary doctorate degree from [[Elizabethtown College]], Pennsylvania. Wofford narrowly lost his bid for re-election to [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[United States House of Representatives|Congressman]] [[Rick Santorum]] (32 years his junior), who defeated Wofford 47%-49%. The election, in November, 1994, was part of the [[Republican Revolution|1994 Republican landslide]] in which many Democrats were ousted from both Houses of the United States Congress. A large reason for Wofford's loss was his stands on controversial abortion and gun control legislation in the [[103rd Congress]]. His support for a [[Assault Weapons Ban|Federal ban on semi-automatic firearms]] cost him significant support throughout the state. ==National service career== After his time in the Senate, Wofford served as chief executive officer of the [[Corporation for National and Community Service]] (the federal agency that runs [[AmeriCorps]] and other domestic volunteer programs), from 1995 to 2001. Since his retirement, he has taught at the [[University of Maryland, College Park]] and served on the boards of several charities and service organizations including [[America’s Promise]], [[Youth Service America]], and the [[Points of Light Foundation]]. He is currently a board member of [[Malaria No More]], a New York-based nonprofit that was launched at the 2006 [[White House]] Summit with the goal of ending all deaths caused by malaria. He was the recipient of the John W. Gardner Leadership Award in 2002. He is currently a senior fellow at the [[Case Foundation]] in Washington, D.C. Since February 2007, Wofford has been national spokesperson for Experience Wave [http://www.experiencewave.org], a national campaign advancing state and federal policies to make it easier for mid-life and older adults to stay engaged in work and community life. [http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/ci_5465422] On [[January 4]], [[2007]], Wofford was present for the swearing-in of Senator [[Bob Casey, Jr.]], who defeated Santorum in his bid for a third term. [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16472259/] He is also backing [[Barack Obama]] for [[President of the United States|President]]. {{start box}} {{U.S. Senator box| state=Pennsylvania| class=1| before=[[H. John Heinz III]]| years=1991–1995| after=[[Rick Santorum]]| alongside=[[Arlen Specter]] }} {{end box}} ==References== {{Reflist}} * ==External links== *[http://peacecorpsonline.org/messages/messages/467/2021020.html Peace Corps biography of Harris Wofford] {{USSenPA}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Wofford, Harris}} [[Category:1926 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from New York City]] [[Category:World federalists]] [[Category:United States Army soldiers]] [[Category:Peace Corps]] [[Category:American federal lawyers]] [[Category:American legal academics]] [[Category:University of Chicago alumni]] [[Category:Yale University alumni]] [[Category:Howard University alumni]] [[Category:State cabinet secretaries of Pennsylvania]] [[Category:United States Senators from Pennsylvania]] [[Category:University of Maryland, College Park faculty]] [[Category:Presidents of Bryn Mawr College]] [[de:Harris Wofford]] [[sv:Harris Wofford]]