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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
University of Georgia Libraries
Athens, GA 30602-1641 | russlib@uga.edu
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Roy V. Harris Papers, 1931-1983
6 boxes, 4.2 linear ft.;
10 audiocassettes, 20 videotapes, and 10 transcripts

Administrative Information

- Access Restrictions
- User Restrictions
- Processing Notes
- Copyright Information
- Preferred Citation

Biographical Note

Scope and Content

Home

Organization and Arrangement

Related Collections

- In Russell Library
- In other repositories


Series Descriptions

Audiovisual Materials


Access Points

Folder List
Roy V. Harris


ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Access Restrictions: Completion of a release form is required for any use of the WAGT-TV videotape material.

User Restrictions: Library acts as “fair use” reproduction agent.

Processing Notes: In most cases, loose newsprint materials have been replaced with photocopies and/or housed in lignin-free enclosures. Scrapbook material has been microfilmed. All photographs have been relocated to the photographs file and a separate inventory is available.

Copyright Information: Before material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permission. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.

Preferred Citation: Roy V. Harris Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia.


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BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL NOTE:

Roy Vincent Harris was born in Glascock County, Georgia on October 2, 1895. He moved to Wrens Georgia to attend high school. He received an A. B. from The University of Georgia in 1917 where he was active in the Demosthenian Society. World War I interrupted his education in June 1917. Harris progressed rapidly through the ranks of the wartime army. After enlisting he was promoted from private to sergeant to 2nd lieutenant to 1st lieutenant. Following the War, Harris returned to The University of Georgia where he completed his LL.B. in 1919. At age 24 Harris was admitted to the Bar of the State of Georgia. He practiced law in Louisville, Georgia until 1931 when he relocated to Augusta, Georgia where he practiced law for the rest of his career as part of the firm, Harris, McCracken, Pickett & Jackson.

Harris entered politics in Georgia early in his career. In 1921 he was elected to the Georgia state legislature for Jefferson County and retained this position through 1928. During his time in the legislature he served as the chair of the Ways and Means Committee. From 1931 to 1932, Harris served as a member of the Georgia State Senate during which time he was vice-chair of the Rules Committee. From 1933 to 1946 he served in the Georgia House of Representatives and wielded considerable power and influence as the Speaker of the House, a position he held from 1937 to 1940 and 1943 to 1946. In his long career as a Georgia politician Harris developed a reputation as a "kingmaker" among his cohorts. A "master of white only, rural-dominated politics," of the County Unit System, Harris had little trouble pulling in the votes needed for a piece of legislation or a candidate for governor. A popular saying among Georgia politicians from this era became "What do you need to be elected governor of Georgia? $50,000 and Roy Harris." During his time as an elected official Harris was at the center of some of Georgia's most controversial political events. He supported the revocation of the poll tax; fought to thwart his political rival Ellis Arnall from amending the state constitution to enable him to succeed himself as governor; and worked behind the scenes to support Herman Talmadge during the infamous two-governor controversy.

As a politician Harris's chief interests centered on upholding segregation and improving Georgia's education system. Upholding his strong support of segregation, in 1945, Harris worked vigorously to protect the all white Democratic primary in Georgia. In 1948 he led the fight for the adoption of a Minimum Foundation Program for Education and supported a sales tax in the next three successive years to fund it.

After Harris left office in 1946, he continued to be an advocate for both segregation and education. He accomplished much of his work to improve Georgia's educational system as a member of the Board of Regents, to which he was first appointed in 1951. In this capacity, Harris's ability to accomplish things behind the scenes made him a valuable advocate for the state's schools. In one example, Harris arranged for The University of Georgia to receive funding to build a new science center with one call to the governor, Marvin Griffin. When Georgia Tech proponents complained, Harris arranged for funding for a comparable center on the Tech campus. Harris served as a Regent until 1973. Although his attitudes towards racial integration were clearly negative, as a member of the Board of Regents he endeavored to uphold his belief in "separate but equal" by working as an advocate for black colleges within the System. If he clearly believed in segregation, he also believed in "equality of accommodation (even if in reality this rarely occurred)." Harris's more virulent attitudes about racial integration found expression in the Citizens Councils of America, an organization dedicated to "State's Rights and Racial Integrity." As the Charter Member and President of the organization's operation in Georgia as well as the President of the whole Citizen's Council in 1966, Harris was one of its most influential and vocal members. During the height of the Civil Rights era, Harris advocated mounting a campaign of harassing phone calls to supporters of integration. He is also credited by many as the galvanizing force behind Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus's intractable opposition to integration of the schools of Little Rock. Another outlet for Harris's vehement opposition to integration and conservative values was The Augusta Courier, a newspaper he edited for 27 1/2 years from 1947 to 1974. Harris was also a regular and featured contributor to The Citizen, the journal published by the Citizens Councils of America.

In 1982 Harris returned to public office once again. This time Roy accepted an appointment to serve as the city attorney for Ed McIntyre, the first black mayor in Augusta, Georgia. Although still a proponent of segregation, Roy Harris found McIntyre, a man he had known personally for several years, to be a better candidate than his opponent, a white businessman.

Harris was a member of the Georgia Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the American Judicative Society, the American Legion; Woodmen of the World, the Masons, and the B. P. O. Elks. He served as a steward at his church, St. James Methodist.

In 1935 Roy Harris and Mary Lewis were married in Augusta, Georgia. They had one son, Roy Vincent Harris, Jr. Mary Lewis Harris preferred to stay out of the political limelight in which her husband so frequently found himself. In an interview with Howell Raines for his book on Civil Rights, My Soul Is Rested, she explained, " I would never go to Atlanta with Roy and hang out with those people. I preferred to stay home and devote myself to my music and my books and to raising our son."

Roy Vincent Harris passed away in 1985. He was 90 years of age.



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SCOPE AND CONTENT:

The Roy Vincent Harris Papers consist of materials pertaining to his career in the Georgia General Assembly and on the Board of Regents of The University System of Georgia; his unofficial role as a behind-the-scenes political "kingmaker"; and his activities associated with the Citizens Council of America. Harris's public career as an elected official in the Georgia legislature and as a member of the Board of Regents in the University System of Georgia is reflected in clippings located in scrapbooks covering the mid 1940s, late 1950s, and 1960-1969. His career is also described in a series of oral history interviews and monologues that are available in audiocassette and transcript formats. As a member of the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia for many years and as an alumnus of The University of Georgia, Harris also carried considerable weight with educational institutions in Georgia. This status is reflected in Harris's correspondence by numerous letters he wrote to recommend individuals for admission to various colleges and universities in Georgia.

Correspondence generated during the later years of Harris's life while he still practiced law in Augusta offer some reflections about his public career from his old cohorts from the Georgia legislature including his rival and friend, Ellis Arnall. However, the majority of Harris's correspondence represents the wide reaching informal network of friends and colleagues--many of them national figures such as Sam Nunn--who had over the years found Harris a powerful behind the scenes political ally. Much of the correspondence includes letters of appreciation from this network for Harris's assistance in legal matters, political advice, and letters of introduction and recommendation. There are letters to Harris from such noted national and state politicians as Ellis Arnall, Sam Nunn, and Zell Miller. Harris's unofficial role as "kingmaker" is further revealed in the scrapbook material and in the oral histories described above.

Roy V. Harris's vehement opposition to racial integration and Civil Rights initiatives of the 1950s and 1960s and his distrust and dissatisfaction with liberal politicians and their policies is well represented in the collection. Scrapbooks from 1956 to1969 focus on Harris's efforts as a member of the Board of Regents to prevent integration of the University System, particularly his alma mater, The University of Georgia. Harris's central role in the activities of the Citizens Council of America, an organization dedicated to "States' Rights & Racial Integrity," is detailed in scrapbook materials, correspondence, oral history material, and photographs. Of special interest in this regard is a complete collection of The Citizen, the publishing organ of the Citizens Council of America, for the years 1975-1983. Also of interest are clippings in the General Series, which explicate Harris's position on his support of Ed McIntyre, a black man for mayor of the city of Augusta. Oral histories offer Harris's own recollections of his attitudes and actions during the Civil Rights era. Harris's dissatisfaction with Jimmy Carter and many of the policies of Carter's presidential administration are mentioned in correspondence.

Harris's personal life--his family, his school years, and his military career-- is well represented by the oral history materials and by the clippings from the late 1970s which sum up Harris's long career in Georgia politics.

Materials represented include correspondence, newspaper clippings (individual items and items mounted chronologically in scrapbooks), printed materials, audiocassettes and videotapes, transcripts, certificates and commendations, and photographs.

 


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ORGANIZATION AND ARRANGEMENT:

The the Roy V. Harris Papers are arranged into five series: I. General Files, II. The Citizen, III. Scrapbooks, IV. Photographs, and V. Audiovisual materials. Series arrangement is chronological. Scrapbooks have been microfilmed.

All audiocassette interviews have accompanying transcripts. Subject analyses for most interviews follow this finding aid. Videotape of several hours of interview with Harris conducted by WAGT-TV of Augusta is available for viewing. A release form is required for any use of the videotape material.


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RELATED COLLECTIONS IN THIS REPOSITORY:

Richard B. Russell, Jr. Collection
Herman E. Talmadge Collection
Ellis Arnall Papers
Harold Henderson Oral History Collection
S. Ernest Vandiver Papers
Zell Miller Papers
Carl Sanders Papers
Hugh Peterson, Sr. Papers


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RELATED COLLECTIONS IN OTHER REPOSITORIES:

Jimmy Carter Governor's Records, Georgia Archives, Morrow, Georgia
Jimmy Carter Presidential Records, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
Sam Nunn Papers, Emory University


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SERIES DESCRIPTIONS:

I. General, 1931-1983
2 boxes, .75 linear foot
The General Files consist of correspondence from 1976 to 1983 with colleagues, clients, and acquaintances including V. I. P. letters from state and national figures; clippings and supplemental editions of newspapers, local Augusta campaign materials; miscellaneous materials which include correspondence, commendations from the Georgia legislature, newsclippings, and a biographical sketch. Researchers may locate information delineating Harris's negative attitude towards Jimmy Carter and his administration references to Harris's political career, and his stance on Civil Rights issues. Researchers will also find a broad spectrum of political figures represented in the correspondence.

II. The Citizen, 1975-1983
2 boxes, .75 linear foot
The Citizen files consist of copies of the journal, The Citizen, published by the Citizens Council of America, an organization formed in the mid 1950s to support "States' Rights & Racial Integrity." Roy V. Harris was a frequent and featured contributor to this publication. A complete set of issues spanning the years 1975-1983 is available.

III. Scrapbooks, 1945-1946, 1956-1969
2 flat boxes, 2.7 linear feet
The scrapbook files consist of clippings from Georgia newspapers that detail significant events in Georgia politics. In most of the articles, Harris and/or his position is either mentioned or highlighted. Excellent coverage of the efforts by Ellis Arnall to amend the constitution to enable him to succeed himself, the two-governor controversy, the revocation of the poll tax, and the fight to end the all white Democratic primary is included in the 1945 and 1946 scrapbooks. Coverage of the Citizens Council's efforts to impede integration of schools and other Civil Rights initiatives is thoroughly covered from 1956 to 1969.

IV. Photographs

45 images

This series is arranged into three categories: photographs from Harris's scrapbooks, photographs removed from his general files, and images collected and donated separately from the general materials. Within these three categories photographs are arranged chronologically with inexact dates identified as circa (ca.) located at the beginning of each decade. Photographs range from 1946 to 1980 and cover many significant events in Harris's political career, his activities as part of the Citizens Council of America, and his career as an attorney. Of special interest are images of Harris in his role as “kingmaker” including: Harris campaigning for Ernest Vandiver for governor, Harris among celebrants at Herman Talmadge gubernatorial inauguration, Harris commiserating with a member of the press. There are also several images of Harris and his cohorts at the annual meetings of the Citizens Council of America meeting. Each photograph has been identified by a brief description of the image including date and size of photograph print. Negatives for some of the photographic prints are available and are housed separately from the print collection.

 


V. Audiovisual Materials
10 audiocassettes, 11 videotapes, & 10 transcripts
The Harris family loaned the Russell Library ten audiocassettes of interviews and monologues with Roy V. Harris. These recordings were copied and exist on audio reels (which serve as the master copies) and audio cassettes (which serve as the user copies). Four of the audio tapes are monologues by Roy Harris discussing his recollections of the history of the area where he grew up, his boyhood years, his time spent at The University of Georgia, his legal career, and most prominently, his participation in Georgia politics. His activities as a member of the Board of Regents are mentioned, as are his activities as a part of the Citizens Council of America. His strongly negative attitudes concerning racial integration and liberal politics are evident in these monologues. The remaining 5 audiocassette interviews conducted as part of The University of Georgia Days oral history project with alumnae focus on Harris's time in the army during World War I, recollections about his time at The University of Georgia, lengthy discussions of noted southern politicians, Huey Long of Louisiana and Tom Watson of Georgia, and general anecdotes from Harris's life.

A audio cassette as well as a transcription of an interview conducted as part of The University of Georgia Law School's oral history project is also available (the original tape is housed in the rare books room of the UGA law school library); however, the Russell Library does not own the original audiocassette recording of the interview. The interview conducted for the law school by Dr. Gwen Y. Wood provides an overview of Harris's life and career with emphasis on his education at The University of Georgia. Some use restrictions exist for the interviews conducted as part of The University of Georgia Days project and for the interview conducted for The University of Georgia Law School.

Three videocassettes containing four and one-half hours of interviews with Roy V. Harris, conducted by Greg Peterson for the Augusta television station WAGT-TV, are also available for viewing. Harris comments upon his service with the state legislature, the Board of Regents, the growth of the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta politics and his position as city attorney. A release form is required for any use of the videotape material.

Nine additional videotapes were added to the collection in 2007.



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ACCESS POINTS


Long, Huey Pierce, 1893-1935.
Watson, Thomas E. (Thomas Edward), 1856-1922.
Medical College of Georgia.
University System of Georgia. Board of Regents.
Georgia. General Assembly. House of Representatives.
Citizen (Jackson, Miss.)
Segregation --Georgia.
Civil rights --Georgia.
Education --Georgia.
Legislators --Georgia.
Georgia --Politics and government --1951-
Augusta (Ga.) --Politics and government --1951-
Periodicals.
Interviews.
Video recordings.
Sound recordings.
Photographs.



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FOLDER LIST

Not available at this time. Please contact Russell Library for more information.

 

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