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Witten William Harris

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Witten William Harris
Harris c. 1915
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 56th district
In office
January 4, 1915 – January 6, 1919
Preceded byWilliam E. Simpson
Succeeded byGrace S. Dorris
Personal details
Born(1872-08-17)August 17, 1872
Gentry County, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJanuary 28, 1958(1958-01-28) (aged 85)
Alameda, California, U.S.
PartySocialist
Democratic
Republican
Progressive
Spouse
Louise Murphy
​
(m. 1897)​
Children
  • Gerald
  • Robert
  • George
  • Witten Jr.
EducationCentral Christian College (B.A.)
OccupationNewspaper writer, editor

Witten William Harris (August 17, 1872 – January 28, 1958) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who served two terms in the California State Assembly for the 56th district from 1915 to 1919.[1][2] Harris was one of three Socialists elected to the California State Assembly in 1914, the other two being George W. Downing and Lewis A. Spengler.[3] Harris also served as a vice president of the California Labor Federation.[4]

1916 re-election advertisement for Harris after having switched to the Democratic Party

While he was first elected as a Socialist, Harris also won the nominations of the Democratic, Republican, and Progressive parties, leaving him unopposed in the general election. Despite having been previously active in the Socialist Party of California,[5] upon being sworn in Harris immediately joined the Non-Partisan caucus. He was expelled from the party as a result.[6] Two years later, he ran for re-election and won as a Democrat.[7] In 1918, he chose to run for Congress in the 7th district, again as a Democrat, but lost the primary.[8]

References

  1. "Witten W. Harris". JoinCalifornia. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  2. "California Blue Book, 1913–1915". California State Printing Office. p. 515. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  3. "Non-partisan bill likely to win out". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco. March 20, 1915. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  4. Scharrenberg, Paul (1916). California State Federation of Labor Year Book, 1916. California State Federation of Labor. p. 13. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  5. "Witten William Harris". Ancestry. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  6. "Man Without a Party Goes to Non-Partisans". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento. January 4, 1915. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  7. "Many legislators are re-elected in California". San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco. November 8, 1916. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  8. "Incumbents in Congress in running". San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco. August 29, 1918. Retrieved August 9, 2024.