Randall S. Harmon

Randall S. Harmon (July 19, 1903 - August 18, 1982) was a U.S. Representative from Indiana.

Harmon was born in North Vernon, Indiana and he graduated from North Vernon High School. Harmon also took extension courses in law and tool engineering. He was employed as a tool engineer with Delco Battery Operations in Muncie, Indiana from 1933 to 1959.

Harmon ran for Congress seven times from 1944 to 1956, running from 1944 to 1952 as a Republican and in 1954 and 1956 as a Democrat. He failed to win a Congressional primary once during this time.

Due to the Democratic party's landslide victory in the 1958 Congressional elections, Harmon was elected to Congress, defeating incumbent Ralph Harvey. During his term in office, Harmon attracted controversy by putting his wife on the Congressional payroll cite news
title=10 New House Members Put Relatives on Payroll
publisher=Washington Post
date=February 21st, 1959
accessdate=2008-01-18] and declaring his front porch a Congressional district officecite news
title=Congressman Collects U.S. Rent on Own Porch
publisher=Los Angeles Times
date=March 5th, 1959
accessdate=2008-01-18] . Harmon also explored the possibility of running for President in 1960cite news
title='Front Porch' Harmon Eyes 1600 Pa. Portico
publisher=Washington Post
date=June 25th, 1960
accessdate=2008-01-18] , but he refused to spend money on such a candidacy, and never proceeded to runcite news
title=HARMON HAT'S IN RING, BUT NOT IN $295 STATES
publisher=Chicago Tribune
date=October 14th, 1959
accessdate=2008-01-18] . Harmon won his primary with 30% of the vote in a field of nine candidates [ [http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=414937 Our Campaigns] ] . In the general election, he campaigned with a replica of a front porch on a truck cite news
title=HARMON TAKES 'PORCH' ALONG ON VOTE TOUR
publisher=Chicago Tribune
date=October 25th, 1960
accessdate=2008-01-18] , Harmon lost his bid for re-election in 1960 to Ralph Harvey.

After leaving office, Harmon campaigned for Congress in 1962. cite news
title=Harmon to Run Again
publisher=New York Times
date=March 22nd, 1962
accessdate=2008-01-18] He then attempted to run for Congress in 1964, but he filed for Congress and the Delaware County Council, and the state ruled that he could run for neither office cite news
title='Front Porch' Harmon, former Indiana Congressman, dies at 79
publisher=Chicago Tribune
date=August 21st, 1982
accessdate=2008-01-18] . Harmon then ran for Congress eight more times from 1968 to 1982, failing to get out of the primary once, before dying in August 1982.

References

Notes