|
19 April 1868 |
 Paul
Percy Harris is born in Racine,
Wisconsin to George H. and Cornelia E. Harris. There's evidence that his
mother's side of the family had roots as far back as the Mayflower
landing at Plymouth Rock.Paul Harris was
only to live in Racine until the age of three as a result of his parents
financial instability. George Harris had been largely supported by his
own father, but it even that was not enough for the Paul's parents. Also
see the 2012 RGHF Institute, Denver, for photos of Paul's parents'
graves. |
|
1870 |
 
1870
Census. See lines 26-30 |
|
1868-1871 |
 The
most critical Paul Harris is of his parents is on page
8 of "The Founder of
Rotary" in 1928. It explains why he was to leave their home in Racine
and to be raised by his grandfather. He offers further explanation when
he writes "My
Road to Rotary" nearly 20 years later. |
|
1871 |
  Paul
and his older brother Cecil are brought,
by their father George Harris, to live with Paul's grand-parents, Howard and
Pamela Rustin Harris in Wallingford,
Vermont |
|
1871-1888 |
Paul writes that
his grandfather was a strong influence on his future life. Though he may
have over indulged his own son, George, he appeared to be a remarkable
parent to Paul. "Founder"
page 19, "My
Road to Rotary" page 208 |
|
Early 80's |
 Expelled from
Black River Academy, attended by Calvin Coolidge, then graduates from
Vermont Academy. |
|
1885 |
Enters the University
of Vermont, only to be expelled. This time he is not at
fault. Why does Harris not appeal the decision? |
|
1888 |
 While
Paul is at Princeton, Howard
Harris dies March 17th, 1888. Paul's grandfather had given
him a road map for success in life. He had taught him one thing
above all else. "Tolerance" |
|
1890 |
Paul
entered the law department of the University of Iowa in the Autumn
of 1890. When word came that his beloved grandmother
had died, there was no time to return to Wallingford for the
funeral. His ties to family were virtually cut. |
|
1891 |
  Paul
gains his law degree and hears a former law student tell
his class, "Go to a small town and make a fool of yourself
for five years, then go to the big city." Instead Paul gave himself five
years to see the world as
a reporter, actor, cowboy, seaman, granite salesman, fruit picker
and hotel clerk. |
|
1896 |
 Harris
arrives in Chicago and starts the practice of law. He becomes one of
Chicago's outstanding attorneys. An early client is a man named
Silvester Schiele who needed an attorney to collect a $10.00 debt
owed to him. He becomes one of Chicago's outstanding attorneys with
a thriving law
office. Due to
ill health he no longer practices law after the early 1930's. But
the firm of Harris,
Dodds and Brownwent on for many years and the succeeding law
firm has the same phone number yet today. |
|
1900 |
Invited to dinner by a fellow attorney, Bob
Franks, Paul
Harris is inspired to start an organization where men of different
professions could gather in fellowship. He spends some five years
considering this possibility.
How Rotary really started, in the words of Paul Harris,
Founder of Rotary, recorded on 20 December 1945 |
|
23 February
1905 |
Thursday evening, 23 February 1905 in
Chicago,  Illinois,
U.S.A. 37 year old
attorney Paul P. Harris, fresh from a wild five years footloose and
four years building a successful law practice, had an idea... It was
regarding observations of success and respect which could come from
organizing professional acquaintances. Five more years past. He had
given this much thought by the time he and Silvester
Schiele (right)
walked over to Gus Loehr's office, in Room
711 that cold
winter night in 1905, almost 9 years from his arrival in Chicago. |
|
1905 |
  Gus
Loehr, whom Harris
describes as a "promoter" had
invited a tailor, Hiram
Shorey, (right)
to join the other two men. Neither Loehr nor Shorey remained more
than a few weeks with the new organization. However, Room 711 is
still recognized as the birthplace of our world wide movement. |
|
1905 |
 Harris
had several other names, among them another friend, Harry
Ruggles, a printer. Harry, known for his singing, is also
the "fifth" Rotarian.Harris had discussed
the idea of such
an organization with both Schiele and and Ruggles.
1906-1907 Correspondence
with a friend in Florida
|
|
1905 |
Several weeks later, Schiele was
elected the first
president of Rotary as
a courtesy since the meeting was held in his office. Harris
suggested several names, one of them being "Rotary." |
|
1908 |
 Paul
Harris sends a former roommate, Manuel
Munoz, to seek out an interested businessman when he travels
to San Francisco to represent his company. Homer
Wood, (right) a San Francisco attorney was just that person.
He became responsible for much of Rotary on the West
Coast and even clubs on the East Coast. |
|
1908 |
  Arthur
Sheldon and Chesley
Perry (right)
both joined
the Chicago club in
1908. Sheldon created the classification system and penned "He
Profits Most Who Serves Best." Harris describes his understanding
of Sheldon's philosophy. Meantime, not everyone in the
Chicago club was in favor of "extension" which may have taken up too
much of their meeting time. Ches
Perry is appointed head of the extension committee in
hopes he will stop Harris' foolishness, particularly of "World Round
Rotary." |
|
1908 |
How important was the Harris - Perry
relationship?
In the mid 1940's Paul wrote: "I realized the necessity of doing one of
two things, either losing entirely the sympathy of the Chicago club
or converting the newly appointed chairman of the extension
committee to the broader viewpoint.
So it came about that I called Ches by phone one
Sunday when he had ample time to talk. During the course of the
interview, Ches asked me the question: 'Why do you think, Paul, that
the Chicago club is as nothing compared with what you have in mind?
I don't know how I answered but I considered the situation desperate
and fired all of my broadsides in defense of my idea. Ches said
little at the time but what he did say was enough. When I hung up
the receiver, I felt convinced that I had won a friend to the cause.
Shortly thereafter he and I, with the help of others, planned the
formation of an association of the then existing clubs. Ches took
the laboring oar in outlining and organizing the first
convention of
Rotary clubs." Paul P. Harris, from Chapter 35 "My
Road to Rotary"
(Harris and Perry in 1923, left)
|
|
1910 |
Harris is elected the first president
of the newly formed "National Association of Rotary Clubs" meeting
in Chicago,
15-17 August, with sixteen clubs in Rotary. Paul Harris served two
terms.
|
|
1910 |
  He
was a founding member of the Prairie Club of
Chicago. On one of the club's early hikes a beautiful young woman
from Edinburgh,
Scotland points
out a tear in his jacket and offers to fix it. Jean
Thomson was the
woman's name. 2
July 1910, Paul Harris marries Jean Thomson
In two years he bought her a large home and they named their home
after a road in Edinburgh, "Comely
Bank." There
they started their life longfriendship
garden. The
Chicago home is being preserved by Rotarians in the 21st Century. |
|
1911 |
Harris is
elected for a second term as president at the convention
in Portland. 15
new clubs had joined the ranks of NARC. Many others were organized
and "doing" business as those in the United
Kingdom were.
June 3rd of that year, he sends a
letter to the Dallas club asking if they intend to be a "secret" organization.
|
|
1912 |
 Paul
and secretary Ches Perry learn that former San Francisco Rotarian, Stuart
Morrow, has returned to his home in Ireland and is
independently organizing Rotary clubs. |
|
1912 |
Paul Harris is named President
emeritus as 50
Clubs meet in Duluth with
delegates from Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Canada and the organization becomes "The International Association
of Rotary Clubs." Also
that year he suffers aserious
heart attack. General
secretary Ches Perry provides one of the best descriptions of
Harris' health at the1947
convention, in San Francisco |
|
1913 |
 The
1913 convention saw Glen Mead become the second president of Rotary.
Paul Harris did not attend,but
his leadership was felt. |
|
1914 |
For the
February 1914 issue of The Rotarian, Harris write an article
entitled, "The
Distant Sense." The
article was about ethics in business. |
|
1915 |
Paul Harris
sent a message to
the 1915 convention in San Francisco with a concern about Rotary. |
|
1916 |
He did not
attend the 7th convention in Cincinnati, but sent a message regarding
the growth of Rotary. |
|
1917 |
War breaks
out in Europe and Harris sends a message to
the Atlanta convention. Arch Klumph talks about an "endowment." In
February of that year, Paul writes a "12th
Anniversary" message to
Rotarians. |
|
1918 |
Harris' letter to
the Kansas City convention stresses methods for getting Rotary into
the general public. |
|
1919 |
The First
World War continues and Paul Harris' letter to
the convention in Salt Lake City is about the pain of war and Rotary
role in peace. |
|
1919 |
Paul
Harris' mother, Cornelia
Bryan Harris dies in
Denver, Colorado. Paul had spent very little time with his parents
who never seemed to be able to keep their family together. It was
Paul's grandfather whose quiet generosity maintained his parents.
Paul's father, George, never very successful in life, is vigilant as
his wife's caretaker at the end of her life. Also
see the 2012 RGHF Institute, Denver, for photos of Paul's parents'
graves. |
|
1920 |
Paul's message to
the Atlantic City convention stresses the "service way." |
|
1921 |
Rotary's first convention away from the continent of its birth.
Edinburgh, the birthplace of Paul's wife Jean Thomson Harris, yet
Paul's health would not allow the trip. His impassion
speech, was read, as usual, by long time general secretary
Ches Perry.
"First time across the sea... Yesterday, Rotary
was a child..." "God grant that Rotary be clean and free from the
corrupting influences of politics." "The power of Rotary is
friendship... Friendship means peace."
|
|
1922 |
Los Angeles
hosted the 13th convention and Harris
wrote about the
expanding international aspects. |
|
1923 |
U.S.
president Warren G. Harding addresses the 8,000 Rotarians in St.
Louis. It was his last major speech, dying a month later. Harris
writes in his
address about "service over wealth" and stresses the importance of
our exclusive representation as a reason or our success. |
|
1924 |
Harris
sends a greeting to
Toronto |
|
1925 |
A short message to
the Cleveland convention. Silvester Schiele does attend. |
|
1926 |
Harris
sends a message,
saying among other things, that Rotary had "reached its majority"
being now 21 years old. The convention was in Denver where his
father would die that same year. |
|
1926 |
At
the age of 84, George Harris, Paul's father, dies in Denver,
Colorado. Having finally inherited his mother's estate George had
been able to continue his life's practice of inventions and schemes
that never succeeded. Paul Harris wrote that he cherished one fond
memory of how his father cared for his mother in her final years.
We as Rotarians, should be thankful to Paul's
grandfather, Howard
Harris and his
grandmother,Pamela Harris without
whom there is little doubt Paul's own genius would not have found
its "Road to Rotary."
|
|
1927 |
The first
convention on the European continent was in Ostende, Belgium. Vivian
Carter, secretary of R.I.B.I. read Harris' speech.
“The three generals in command of the destructive
forces are: Suspicion Jealousy and Fear.
Let us stimulate and encourage the constructive
forces and place in their command, the three greatest generals the
world has ever known: Faith Love and Courage.”
|
|
1928 |
Paul was
traveling in Europe as a delegate of
an Illinois bar association at the time of the Minneapolis
convention, but sent a short
message. |
|
1928 |
 Paul
Harris' signature is all that is seen on the cover of his 1928
autobiography "The
Founder of Rotary," with
a forward by RI General Secretary Chesley R. Perry. The
entire book is online to be read or printed
|
|
1928 |
 Harris'
tour of Europe, as a delegate of his bar association, is described
in his personal
journal. He
also visited many Rotary clubs in England and Europe during this
trip.
Also, a summary
of his speeches to
clubs during that trip where he answers some of the critics of
Rotary.
|
|
1929 |
Ches Perry
announced at the Dallas convention, that the Rotary Foundation was
well under way. Paul Harris' message took
up a sporting theme -entitled - The Big Game is On. Paul asked
Rotarians - What will your batting average be? And Have you learned
the rules of the game? |
|
1930 |
Harris
attends the 1930, "Silver
Anniversary" convention, in Chicago. His
first convention since leaving office in 1912.. He was not expected
due to his health. However, he surprised the nearly 10,000 in
attendance and delivered his message in person for the first time in
30 years! |
|
1930's |
After
Harris' death in 1947, Ches Perry, then retired, attended the San
Francisco convention to deliver a memorial to his former boss. In
this copy of a portion of
that speech he talks about Paul's illness and the board's invitation
to visit clubs around the world when his health recovered in the
mid-1930's. |
|
1931 |
Paul's letter to
the Vienna, Austria convention talks about the new ideas of Rotary
coming from "young counties" to "older countries" in Europe and also
about the great depression. |
|
1932 |
World
conflict is again on the rise. The secretariat has moved to new
offices. There's a heated debate about allowing more than one club
in a city. And, the convention chairman reads Paul Harris' speech to
the Seattle convention. |
|
1932 |
 Paul
Harris' unpublished
diary of his journey to Europe in 1932, during which time he
planted "Friendship
Trees" in many European cities.
The final
summary of the
journal was about patriotism.
|
|
1933 |
 Hear
Paul Here! In
1933, Rotary International held its 24th convention in Boston,
MA, USA. Harris attended remaining active as president
emeritus. During the convention, a radio broadcast was arranged
heard "around the world" and addressed to "non-Rotarians."
General secretary Chesley R. Perry introduced Harris who told his
audience " Friends of the air" that if they have "Love of 'men' in
their heart," then they are potential Rotarians! Now you can listen
to a recording
of this famous broadcast.
|
|
1934 |
Harris attends two conventions in a
row and again is on
the Radio, this time from the Detroit convention, where he
receives the Boy
Scouts of
America's highest award. The ceremony is broadcast to the host
community. |
|
1934 |
In 1934, Harris writes the first in a series for The
Rotarian by presidents. Harris writes "A
Road I have Traveled" about his 29 years in Rotary.
Also, in 1934, Harris wrote an introduction to
a book about Jim Davidson, who was often referred to as the "Paul
Harris" of India and other far flung parts of the Rotary world.
|
|
1934 |
Paul Harris makes trip to England and South Africa.
There is a very important meeting with R.I.B.I with importance still
today. Then on for a round of meetings in South Africa. His
journal is online.
While in London, during the 1934 trip, Paul hears of
a letter which may have political undertones. His
comments are contained in an article.
|
|
1935 |
His health
improved enough to travel, Harris attends
the Mexico City convention
and again broadcasts on the radio. It is his third consecutive
convention and the Harris' are now traveling around the world.
Harris, though, must sometimes, cancel appearances due to
exhaustion. |
|
1935 |
  Peregrinations
II. Paul writes a statement of international
philosophy from Parramatta, Australia. Along
the way they plant many of theFriendship
Trees, now
on display as part of our fellowship.
While in Valparaiso, Chile, in 1936, Paul wrote his thoughts on
the planting of trees.
|
|
1935 |
 Paul
Harris writes his second autobiography, "This
Rotarian Age" this
time mostly about the evolution of Rotary in the first 30 years of
the organization."At last, we have the
story of Rotary by its Founder, Paul P. Harris. It is not merely a
recital of what happened in 1905 or the years immediately following.
It is an interesting story of Rotary — of yesterday, of today, and
of tomorrow" From the book's forward by general secretary Ches Perry
|
|
1935 |
 In
his 1935 text of Rotary's past, present and future he also writes
about his health. He describes what he terms a "nervous
breakdown" sometime
in the early 1930's. He leaves one copy of his book with a thank you
message to the family
who gave him a place to rest while
he was writing "This Rotarian Age." (There is a section devoted to signatures of
some interest such a check written in later years to his only
sister.) |
|
1935 |
Also,
in 1935, Harris makes a rare attendance at a Rotary convention. This
one in Mexico City. Harris told of how it was a joy to meet friends
in unaccustomed places. "God must have loved mankind when he created
friends for them", he
told his audience. Also, for
the 30th Anniversary of Rotary, Paul Harris wrote: Rotary
is 30 Years Old
|
|
1936 |
Paul Harris did not attend the
Atlantic City convention as he and Jean Harris were still visiting
Rotarians in South America but his Convention
Message was read
out by his old friend Silvester Schiele. |
|
1936 |
 Paul
and Jean travel, again, at the invitation of the board of directors,
to Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Peru Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
Harris writes about the travels, but continues to record his
philosophy of Rotary's power for peace. They also plant many more Friendship
Trees. The travels are published as
Peregrinations
III and, as with
Peregrinations II, the publication is copyright by Jean Harris. |
|
1937 |
Returned from their South American travels, Harris crosses the
Atlantic, is made an officer of the French Foreign Legion and then speaks to
the Rotary convention in Nice, France. Paul
received many decorations
and belonged to
numerous organizations
|
|
1938 |
At the 1938
San Francisco convention,
general secretary Ches Perry suggested contributions to the Rotary
Foundation rather than birthday cards for Paul Harris' 70th
Birthday. |
|
1939 |
At age 71,
Paul attended the 30th convention in Cleveland and spoke of
Rotary's power for peace, as war loomed. |
|
1940 |
Harris'
health would not allow the trip to Cuba for the Rotary
Convention there.
Years earlier, Paul had wondered if Rotary could take hold in a non
English speaking country. Havana, though not active now, was the
first such club. |
|
1941 |
Both Paul
and his wife Jean attended the convention
in Denver, the former home of his parents. |
|
1941 |
 Paul
and Jean attend a business exposition at Rotary Club of Chicago and
present some of Paul's own artwork. |
|
1942 |
Again Paul
and Jean were present in Toronto and both
spoke. He said the war was to preserve civilization. At that
convention, Ches Perry ended 32 years as the first secretary general
and the only Rotarian with a perfect convention attendance record. |
|
1943 |
 Jean
and Paul were together for a third year and both
spoke in St. Louis. Harris was now 75.
The Rotarian magazine paid a visit to their home
|
|
1944 |
403 were
all that attended the Chicago convention that year, but Paul Harris
made his fourth
appearance in a
row and received an award from the Dominican Republic. |
|
1945 |
 In
1945 the United Nations charter was signed in San Francisco.
Rotarians were involved in the organization and remain so today.
Paul Harris explains, in "My
Road to Rotary" how this came to be. |
|
1945 |
We have no
record of Paul Harris attending the second
Chicago "war" convention. However,
there was a memorial to Paul's friend, and 32 year RI treasurer and
fellow Chicago Rotarian, Rufus Chapin, who had died that year. |
|
1946 |
No doubt
the 1946
convention in Atlantic City was
saddened by the passing of Silvester Schiele, the first president of
a Rotary club. He was also one of Paul's earliest clients, close
friend and neighbor. At the next convention, in San Francisco, there
would be the memorial to the first president of a "Rotary
Association." |
|
1946 |
As he
is writing "My Road to Rotary" Harris describes the "Friendship
Trees" and war. Months before his
death and in ill health, Paul is asked by Leland Case, editor of The
Rotarian, to write
a "routine" articlefor the coming February anniversary of
Rotary. It is believed to be his last published writing.
|
|
27 January
1947 |
 After
a many years of ill health, but continuing to write for the Rotarian
Magazine, Rotary
founder Paul Harris dies
| Chicago Tribune obituary |
| Day
of his death/Service |
| Tributes
from presidents Hedke, Warren, Mead and GS Perry
| His
gravesite has become a memorial
1947 Cover of
The Rotarian honors Harris
|
|
1947 |
 Just
as Vivian Carter, the second editor of The Rotarian is completing a
book about Rotary in London, he learns of the death of his friend
Paul Harris. He writes a very revealing tribute. |
|
1947 |
The
San Francisco convention saw the return of retired general secretary
Chesley R. Perry to deliver
the memorial for
his former boss Paul Harris. It was Harris, in 1908 who had called
Perry on a Sunday afternoon and managed to convince Perry to help
him. |
|
1948 |
 the
third book and second autobiography, written by Paul P. Harris is
published. The first editionincluded
14 pages of highlights from 1905 - 1948. These
were written for the publisher A. Kroch and Son, by Rotary
International under the direction of Rotary's second General
Secretary, Philip Lovejoy. In this book you'll hear Paul tell how
Rotary came to be. How he became the person who had the vision to
create this great movement. It is the only way to understand the
values of Rotary from the man who taught them.
|
|
1952 |
 Harry
Ruggles, the Fifth Rotarian writes an article for The Rotarian about
his long time friend and fellow Rotarian, "The
Paul Harris that I Knew." |
|
1957 |
The
"Paul Harris Fellow" designation (later to become "Paul Harris
Fellow Recognition" was created in 1957 to recognize the gift of
US$1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. There were also several other
awards, including ones for $500 and $100, but they were subsequently
discontinued. See our article by PRIP
Cliff Dochterman
|
|
1979 |
 "Paul
Harris will forever be remembered as the founder of Rotary
International.
This account of his life, the first to be published,
makes fascinating reading and marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of
Rotary, which today has nearly one million members in more than 150
countries." James P. Walsh
|
1999
|
Paul Harris in Space |
|
Today |
There are
many memorials to Paul
Harris, the greatest is "Rotary" itself and becoming a Paul
Harris Fellow and
knowing that every dollar of that investment will go to an effort to
bring goodwill and understanding to our world. |
