{{Short description|American politician (1868–1932)}} {{for|Illinois architect|William J. Harris (architect)}} {{Use American English|date=November 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = William Julius Harris |image = HARRIS, W.J. SENATOR LCCN2016857147 (3x4b).jpg |jr/sr = United States Senator |state = [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] |term_start = March 4, 1919 |term_end = April 18, 1932 |predecessor = [[Thomas W. Hardwick]] |successor = [[John S. Cohen]] |birth_name = William Julius Harris |birth_date = {{birth date|1868|2|3}} |birth_place = [[Cedartown, Georgia|Cedartown]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|1932|4|18|1868|2|3}} |death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S. |party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] |education = [[University of Georgia]] }}

'''William Julius Harris''' (February 3, 1868{{spaced ndash}}April 18, 1932) was a [[United States senator]] from the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. He was a great-grandson of [[Charles Hooks]], who had been a [[United States Representative|Representative]] from [[North Carolina]], and son-in-law of [[Joseph Wheeler]], [[Confederate Army|Confederate]] General and Representative from [[Alabama]].

== Early life == Harris was born in [[Cedartown, Georgia|Cedartown]] in [[Polk County, Georgia|Polk County]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], and attended the common schools. He graduated from the [[University of Georgia]] at [[Athens, Georgia|Athens]] in 1890.

He married Julia Knox Hull Wheeler (November 27, 1870 - January 6, 1959), daughter of [[Joseph Wheeler]].

==Career== He engaged in the general [[insurance]] business and banking at Cedartown, Georgia. He served as private secretary to U.S. Senator [[Alexander S. Clay]] from 1904 to 1909.

Entering politics, Harris was elected as a Democrat to the [[Georgia Senate]] in 1911 and 1912. From 1913 to 1915 he served as appointed Director of the [[United States Census Bureau]]; he also served as Acting Secretary of the [[Department of Commerce]] from 1913 to 1915. In 1915 he resigned when he was appointed as a member of the [[Federal Trade Commission]].

He was chairman of the FTC 1917-1918. In [[1918 United States Senate election in Georgia|1918]], he was elected as a [[USDemocrat|Democrat]] to the US Senate, and reelected in [[1924 United States Senate elections|1924]] and [[1930 United States Senate election in Georgia|1930]]. He served in total from March 4, 1919 until his death. While in the Senate, Harris was a member of the [[National Forest Reservation Commission]] from 1929 to 1932.

He died of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] Funeral services were held in the Chamber of the United States Senate. His interment was in Greenwood Cemetery in Cedartown.

After Harris' death in 1932, the [[governor of Georgia]], [[Richard Russell, Jr.]], declared a special election for September of that year to fill the vacant seat. Russell declared his own candidacy and won the election to replace Harris.

==Personal== Harris was the son of physician Dr. Charles Hooks Harris and his wife Margaret Ann (Monk) Harris. He had four brothers and five sisters. Among his brothers were U.S. Army Major General [[Peter Charles Harris|Peter C. Harris]] and Alabama physician Dr. [[Seale Harris]].<ref name=JCH>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hbhRAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA9 |title=The Personal and Family History of Charles Hooks and Margaret Monk Harris |first=James Coffee |last=Harris |date=1911 |pages=9–10, 102–106 |publisher=J. C. Harris |access-date=2023-11-01}}</ref><ref name=obit/>

On July 28, 1905, Harris married Julia Knox Hull Wheeler in [[New York City]]. Their daughter Julia Wheeler Harris was born in 1909.<ref name=JCH/><ref name=obit>{{cite news |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1932/04/19/100719536.pdf |title=Senator W. J. Harris Dies in Washington: Georgian Succumbs at 64 to Long Illness—Won Seat in 1918 Battle for Wilson. |date=April 19, 1932 |page=21 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2023-11-01}}</ref>

==See also== * [[List of members of the United States Congress who died in office (1900–1949)]]

==References== {{Reflist}} *''[[Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson]]'', 2002, [[Robert A. Caro]], p.&nbsp;174 {{ISBN|978-0-394-72095-1}} {{CongBio|H000259}}

==External links== * {{Commons category-inline|William Julius Harris}}

{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=[[Thomas W. Hardwick]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[United States Senator|U.S. Senator]] from [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]<br />([[Classes of United States senators|Class 2]])|years=[[1918 United States Senate election in Georgia|1918]], [[1924 United States Senate election in Georgia|1924]], [[1930 United States Senate election in Georgia|1930]]}} {{s-aft|after=[[Richard Russell Jr.]]}} {{s-off}} {{succession box | before=[[Edward Dana Durand]] | title=[[Director of the United States Census Bureau]] | years=1913 &ndash; 1915 | after=[[Samuel Lyle Rogers]]}} {{s-par|us-sen}} {{U.S. Senator box | state=Georgia | class=2 | before=[[Thomas W. Hardwick]] | after=[[John S. Cohen]] | alongside=[[M. Hoke Smith]], [[Thomas E. Watson]], [[Rebecca Latimer Felton]] and [[Walter F. George]] | years=1919&ndash;1932}} {{s-end}}

{{USSenGA}} {{Democratic Party of Georgia}} {{Authority control}} {{FTC Chairs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, William J.}} [[Category:1868 births]] [[Category:1932 deaths]] [[Category:Directors of the United States Census Bureau]] [[Category:Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators]] [[Category:University of Georgia alumni]] [[Category:Democratic Party United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state)]] [[Category:People from Cedartown, Georgia]] [[Category:United States Census Bureau people]] [[Category:State political party chairs of Georgia (U.S. state)]] [[Category:Woodrow Wilson administration personnel]] [[Category:20th-century United States senators]] [[Category:20th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly]]