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2015 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 787
Celebrating the life of the Honorable Herbert E. Harris II.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 13, 2015
Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 2015

 

WHEREAS, the Honorable Herbert E. Harris II of Mount Vernon, a respected attorney who represented the residents of Northern Virginia in the United States House of Representatives, died on December 24, 2014; and

WHEREAS, a native of Kansas City, Missouri, Herbert Harris graduated from Rockhurst High School and served his country in the United States Navy; he attended Missouri Valley College and the University of Notre Dame, then earned a bachelor’s degree from Rockhurst College and a law degree from Georgetown University; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Harris was admitted to the Missouri and Washington, D.C., bars and briefly practiced law in Kansas City before relocating to Washington, D.C., in 1951; he cofounded and served as the general counsel and vice president of Warner & Harris, Inc., an international trade firm; and

WHEREAS, from 1968 to 1974, Herbert Harris worked to enhance the lives of his fellow community members as the Mount Vernon representative on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; he supported upgrading the county’s sewer system, business incentives, the Route 1 revitalization project, and the construction of Inova Mount Vernon Hospital and several local libraries and community centers; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Harris also served as a member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and was the vice chair of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, where he helped secure funding for the construction of the Washington Metro; and

WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to the residents of Northern Virginia, Herbert Harris ran for and was elected to the United States House of Representatives; taking office in 1975, he served for three terms as the representative of Virginia’s 8th Congressional District; and

WHEREAS, while in office, Herbert Harris sponsored many important pieces of legislation, including additional funding for the Washington Metro, funding for schools to replace revenue lost because of tax exempt federal properties, and bills expanding Manassas National Battlefield Park and establishing the Quantico National Cemetery; he also opposed construction of a pipeline through Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge; and

WHEREAS, after completing his public service, Herbert Harris continued to practice international trade law in the Washington, D.C., area with the firm of Harris, Ellsworth & Levin; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Harris earned many awards and accolades for his leadership of and commitment to the residents of Northern Virginia, and the Herbert Harris Post Office in Engleside is named in his honor; and

WHEREAS, a man of great integrity, Herbert Harris served the Northern Virginia community and the Commonwealth with professionalism, dedication, and distinction; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by his wife, Nancy, and a son, Sean, Herbert Harris will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his children, Bert, Frank, Kevin, and Susan, and their families and numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues on both sides of the aisle; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Honorable Herbert E. Harris II, a respected public servant and attorney in Northern Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of the Honorable Herbert E. Harris II as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory and accomplishments.