Paul P. Harris, a lawyer, was the founder of Rotary, the world's first and
most international service club.
Born in Racine Wisconsin, USA on 19 April 1868, Paul was the second of six
children to George N. Harris and Cornelia Bryan Harris. At age 3 he moved to
Wallingford, Vermont where he grew up in the care of his paternal grandparents.
Paul
married Jean Thompson Harris (1881 -
1963)
and
they had no children. He
received an L.L.B. from the University of Iowa and received an honorary L.L.D.
from the University of Vermont.
Paul Harris worked as a newspaper reporter, a business teacher, stock
company actor, cowboy, and traveled extensively in the U.S.A. and Europe selling
marble and granite. In 1896, he went to Chicago to practice law. One evening
Paul visited the suburban home of a professional friend. After dinner, as they
strolled through the neighborhood, Paul's friend introduced him to various
tradesmen in their stores. It was here Paul conceived the idea of a club that
could recapture some of the friendly spirit among businessmen in small
communities.
On 23 February, 1905, Paul Harris formed the first club with three other
businessmen: Silvester Schiele, a coal merchant; Gustavus Loehr, a mining
engineer; and Hiram Shorey, a merchant tailor. Paul Harris named the new club "Rotary"
because members met in rotation at their various places of business. Club
membership grew rapidly. Soon Paul became convinced that the Rotary club could
be developed into an important service movement and strove to extend Rotary to
other cities.
Paul was also prominent in other civic and professional work. He served as
the first chairman of the board of the national Easter Seal Society of Crippled
Children and Adults in the U.S.A. and of the International Society for Crippled
Children. He was a member of the board of managers of the Chicago Bar
Association and its representative at the International Congress of Law at the
Hague, and a committee member of the American Bar Association. He received the
Silver Buffalo Award from the Boy Scouts of America for distinguished service to
youth, and was decorated by the governments of Brazil, Chile, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, France and Peru.
Paul maintained his law office for most of his life. He spent much time
traveling and was invited to speak to Rotarians at annual conventions, district
and regional meetings, and other functions. When President emeritus Paul Harris
passed away on 27 January, 1947, his dream had grown from an informal meeting of
four men to some 6,000 clubs. In the past five decades, the organization has
grown to more than 27,500 clubs with 1.2 million members brought together
through Paul Harris' vision of service and fellowship.
