Fred Harris

Riding on the coat tails of Lyndon Johnson's 1964 landslide victory over Barry Goldwater, Fred Harris defeated former University of Oklahoma football coach Charles (Bud) Wilkinson to become, at age 33, the youngest senator elect in the history of the Sooner state. He quickly proved himself a most active senator-he was named chairman of a subcommittee during his first year, sought to bring accountability in federal research and development programs, and concerned himself with the plight of Native Americans and poverty stricken people throughout rural America. Later, as a result of his involvement with the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disobedience, his role as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and his work in the burgeoning peace movement, Fred Harris began to articulate his plans for New Populism-a program designed for millions of Americans who believed that government should serve the people and not its special interests. In 1972 and 1976, Harris launched New Populist campaigns for the presidency, but, in both instances, inadequate funding forced him to abandon his efforts. In Fred Harris: His Journey from Liberalism to Populism, historian Richard Lowitt traces the political career of Fred Harris and provides new insight into one senator's search for answers to the diverse, complex, and challenging issues confronting America during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s.