Oren Harris

Oren Harris (December 20, 1903 - February 5, 1997) was a U.S. Representative and United States District Court Judge from Arkansas.

Background

Born in Belton, Arkansas, Harris attended public schools in Prescott, Arkansas. He graduated from Henderson State College, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, in 1929, and from Cumberland School of Law at Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1930. He was admitted to the bar in 1930 and commenced practice in El Dorado, Arkansas. Harris served as Deputy prosecuting attorney of Union County, Arkansas from 1933 to 1936, and as prosecuting attorney of the thirteenth judicial circuit of Arkansas 1937-1940. He served as delegate to the Democratic State conventions in 1936 and 1940, and the Democratic National Conventions in 1944, 1952, 1956, and 1960.

Congressional Service

In 1940, Harris was elected as U.S. Representative for Arkansas's 4th congressional district, (encompassing much of southern Arkansas). He served without interruption for over twenty-five years, from January 3, 1941, until February 2, 1966. He served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, where in 1959 he presided over hearings on the "quiz show scandal."^[1]

In the 1960s, he served as chairman of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Eighty-fifth through Eighty-ninth Congresses). He was the lead House sponsor of the Kefauver Harris Amendment, an amendatory act to the federal Pure Food and Drug Act, the law that mandates that pharmaceutical companies disclose the side effects of medications approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for sale in the U.S.A.

From Congressman to Federal Judge

On July 26, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Harris to fill a newly-created position as United States District Judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas.^[2] He was confirmed August 11, 1965.^[3] Although the records of the Federal Judicial Center reflect that Harris received his commission on August 12, 1965, Harris did not sign the commission until the following year, when on February 3, 1966, he both resigned his office as a member of congress and was sworn in as a judge.^[4]

At the time of his resignation, the entire Arkansas congressional delegation had been in office since 1945 or earlier, and the prolonged period without an open seat had created a backlog of candidates waiting for a vacancy.^[5] In a special Democratic Primary, future U.S. Senator David Pryor defeated future federal judge Richard S. Arnold and others. Pryor took office after defeating Republican A. Lynn Lowe of Texarkana in the special election.

Judicial Service

Judge Harris served as Chief Judge of the Western District from 1967 to 1973 while continuing to serve in both districts.^[3] His active service ended when he assumed senior status on February 3, 1976, but he continued to serve as a senior judge.

He died February 5, 1997.

References

• Oren Harris at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

References

1. ^ Congress, House, Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Investigation of Television Quiz Shows, 86th Cong., 1st Sess., 1959 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1960).
2. ^ "Federal District Judgeship Goes to Rep. Oren Harris," Norwest Arkansas Times, 1965-07-27, at 1 (available on Newspaperarchive.com).
3. ^ ^{a b} http://www.fjc.gov/public/home.nsf/hisj (biography of Oren Harris).
4. ^ "Oren Harris Sworn In As A Judge; Thinks He Will Enjoy the Job," Northwest Arkansas Times, 1967-02-04, at 14.
5. ^ "Arkansas Demos Due Primary To Halt Battle for Nomination," Abilene Reporter-News, 1965-12-29 at 14A (available on Newspaperarchive.com).

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

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Name	Harris, Oren
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Date of birth	December 20, 1903
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Date of death	February 5, 1997
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