Bill Harris (September 1, 1934 – November 27, 2017) was a Republican politician, who served in the

Ohio General Assembly The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Colu ...

, notably as President of the Ohio Senate from 2005 to 2010.

Life and career

Originally from

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, Harris earned his B.A. in Secondary Education from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. A former

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, Harris served in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

as a machine gunner and a platoon commander. After Korea he attended the US Army Counterintelligence School, and then served the remainder of his 23-year career with the USMC as an intelligence and counterintelligence officer, serving two tours of duty in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. Following his time in the military, Harris moved to

Ashland, Ohio Ashland is a city in Ashland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is approximately 66 miles southwest of Cleveland. The population was 19,225 at the 2020 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan statistical area, wh ...

, where he began a career as an automotive dealer. He would own one of the largest

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...

and

General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...

dealership networks in Northern Ohio. In 1995, Harris sought an open seat in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

in a Republican district. He won easily, and began his first term on January 3, 1995. He won reelection in 1996. By 1997, Harris was serving as majority whip of the House. He won reelection in 1998. The Ohio Senate announced Harris' death on November 27, 2017.

Ohio Senate

While Harris was seen as a potential

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

in 2000, a vacant seat in the

Ohio Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of t ...

changed his political future. In summer of 2000, Senator

Dick Schafrath Richard Philip Schafrath (March 21, 1937 – August 15, 2021) was an American offensive lineman for the Cleveland Browns, former Ohio State Senator, and author. During his tenure as an athlete, he won a national football championship with the 1 ...

resigned from his seat before facing term limits in 2002. Harris was appointed to the seat. He was seated in the upper chamber on August 15, 2000, and resigned from his House seat on the same day. Harris won a full term to the Senate in 2000, facing minimal opposition, and served as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, one of the more powerful chairmanships in the legislature. In late 2004, ongoing disputes between Senators Randy Gardner and Jeff Jacobson, who were both vying to be the next President of the Senate, left President Doug White's successor unnamed. Both dropped out of the running, leaving

darkhorse ''Darkhorse'' is the second studio album by American rap rock band Crazy Town. It was released through Columbia Records/Sony Music on November 12, 2002. The album had two singles, "Drowning", which was a minor hit in several countries, and "Hu ...

candidate Harris to take the top position in the Senate in 2005. He served in the capacity for three General Assemblies, or six years. Harris easily won a second term in 2006. By 2010, Harris was

term limited A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potential for monopoly, wher ...

, and after fifteen years, left the legislature. He was succeeded in the Senate by

Kris Jordan Kristopher W. Jordan (February 10, 1977 – February 25, 2023) was an American politician in the Republican Party. He was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2019 until his death (after a previous term from 2009 to 2010), and the ...

, and as President of the Senate by

Tom Niehaus Tom Niehaus is an American former politician who served as President of the Ohio Senate from 2011 to 2012. He also was the state senator for the 14th District from 2005 to 2012. He served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2001 to 2004. ...

. Following his time as a legislator, Harris returned to Ashland County and retired. He died November 27, 2017.

References

External links

Project Vote Smart - Bill M. Harris (OH)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Bill Harris
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campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Bill 1934 births 2017 deaths People from Anderson County, Tennessee Military personnel from Tennessee Presidents of the Ohio Senate Republican Party Ohio state senators University of Arizona alumni Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Ohio General Assembly