Lee Harris (politician)
{{short description|American politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Lee Harris
| office = 7th Mayor of Shelby County
| term_start = September 1, 2018
| term_end =
| predecessor = Mark Luttrell
| successor =
| office1 = Minority Leader of the Tennessee Senate
| term_start1 = January 13, 2015
| term_end1 = August 31, 2018
| predecessor1 = Jim Kyle
| successor1 = Jeff Yarbro
| state_senate2 = Tennessee
| district2 = 29th
| term_start2 = January 13, 2015
| term_end2 = August 31, 2018
| predecessor2 = Ophelia Ford
| successor2 = Raumesh Akbari
| office3 = Member of the Memphis City Council
from the 7th district
| term_start3 = 2011
| term_end3 = 2015
| predecessor3 = Berlin Boyd
| successor3 = Berlin Boyd
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|8|10}}
| birth_place = Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Democratic
| spouse =
| education = Morehouse College {{small|(BA)}}
Yale University {{small|(JD)}}
| image = File:Lee Harris, Shelby County mayor in 2018.jpg
| caption = Harris in 2018
}}
Lee Ardrey Harris (born August 10, 1978) is an American politician who currently serves as the Mayor of Shelby County, previously serving as a member of the Tennessee Senate, representing the 29th district. Harris is also a law professor. Prior to his election to the state senate, Harris represented District 7 on the Memphis City Council. He was born and raised in Memphis, and studied at Morehouse College, followed by Yale Law School.[http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/10/harris-defeats-ford-early-voting-memphis-city-coun/ "Lee Harris defeats Kemba Ford in Memphis City Council District 7 runoff"] (November 10, 2011). commercialappeal.com/
In 2014, he was elected to the Tennessee Senate to replace Ophelia Ford. He was elected in November 2014 by the Democratic Senate Caucus of the Tennessee State Senate to the leadership position of Senate Minority Leader. He is the first black lawmaker of either party to hold a leadership position in the Tennessee State Senate.{{cite news|last1=Boucher|first1=Dave|title=Senate Democrats choose freshmen as new leaders|url=http://www.tennessean.com/story/insession/2014/11/25/senate-democratic-leadership-chris-harris-jeff-yarbro/70107658/|accessdate=11 February 2015|publisher=The Tennessean|date=25 November 2015}} In 2018, Harris was the Democratic nominee for Mayor of Shelby County, defeating Republican David Lenoir.{{cite web|url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/08/02/democrat-lee-harris-takes-early-lead-shelby-county-mayors-race/869062002/|title=Democrat Lee Harris declares victory in the Shelby County mayor's race|author=Ryan Poe|publisher=The Commercial Appeal|accessdate=August 2, 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/08/02/democrat-lee-harris-takes-early-lead-shelby-county-mayors-race/869062002/|title=Tennessee Dem Sen. Harris to resign, begin county mayor term|publisher=The Washington Times|accessdate=September 1, 2018}} He was re-elected to a second term in 2022.{{Cite news |last=Burgess |first=Katherine |date=August 5, 2022 |title=Four more years: Lee Harris reelected as mayor of Shelby County in extension of blue wave |work=The Commercial Appeal |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/08/04/early-voting-shelby-county-mayor-lee-harris-has-lead-over-worth-morgan/10162114002/ |access-date=August 31, 2022}}
Early life and education
Harris was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the son of a retired high school guidance counselor and a heating and air conditioning repairman. He attended Memphis city schools, including Alcy Elementary School, John P. Freeman Middle School, and Overton High School.[http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2012/oct/25/harris-legal-career-leans-on-desire-to-help-community/ "Harris Legal Career Leans on Desire to Help Community"], Richard Alley (Oct 25, 2012). http://www.memphisdailynews.org/{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Harris attended Morehouse College on a full scholarship, graduating in 2000. While at Morehouse, Harris completed a one-year course of study at the London School of Economics. He graduated from Yale Law School in 2003.{{cite web |url=http://www.memphis.edu/law/facultystaff/bio/harris.php |title=Cecil C Humphreys School of Law :: Lee Harris :: University of Memphis |accessdate=2013-03-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406124539/http://www.memphis.edu/law/facultystaff/bio/harris.php |archivedate=2013-04-06 }} Lee Harris Biography: University of Memphis, School of Law
Career
Harris began his legal career as an associate at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, a Memphis law firm. In 2003, Harris began teaching at the University of Memphis, School of Law, attaining tenure in 2009. Harris teaches and publishes in the fields of corporate law.
In 2006, Harris unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives for Tennessee's 9th congressional district.http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2011/11/10/harris-appears-to-have-easy-win-in-district-7 Harris Romps to Easy Win in District 7, Memphis Flyer
In 2011, Harris faced Kemba Ford in a runoff election for Memphis City Council. He won the race with more than 60% of the vote.
On April 3, 2014, Harris announced his intention to contest a Tennessee State Senate District 29 seat currently held by state Senator Ophelia Ford.http://www.memphisflyer.com/JacksonBaker/archives/2014/04/03/fords-make-election-day-news-big-time Fords Make Filing-Day News, Big-Time, Memphis Flyer Harris was elected to the seat and was sworn in in January 2015. He was elected by his colleagues in the Democratic Caucus of the Tennessee State Senate to be Senate Minority Leader for the session. He is the first black lawmaker of either party to hold a leadership position in the Tennessee State Senate.
In 2018, Harris was the Democratic nominee for Shelby County Mayor. He won the general election, defeating Republican Shelby County Trustee David Lenoir 55-45%. Harris' campaign emphasized reducing poverty and expanding education, including access to jobs training and apprenticeships.{{Cite web|title=Breaking down the Shelby County mayoral race|url=https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/38779194/breaking-down-the-shelby-county-mayoral-race/|access-date=2021-02-03|website=www.wmcactionnews5.com|date=31 July 2018 }} During his first term, Harris raised the minimum wage for Shelby County employees and oversaw the county's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also increased funding for early childhood education and created a paid parental leave program for county employees.
Harris ran for re-election in 2022. He faced Republican Worth Morgan, a member of the Memphis City Council. The campaign centered around the county's crime rate and health care infrastructure. Harris defeated Morgan 58-42%
Policy positions
Harris was a proponent of an October 16, 2012, amendment to Memphis' anti-discrimination ordinance, which prohibits the City of Memphis from discriminating on the basis of age, disability, national origin, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation.http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/oct/28/a-controversial-mainstream-city-ordinance/ A Controversial, Mainstream City Ordinance (October 28, 2012)
Books
- Corporations and Other Business Entities: a Practical Approach (2011) {{ISBN|9780735596368}}
- Mastering Corporations and Other Business Entities (1997) {{ISBN|978-1594604447}}
References
{{Reflist}}
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{{s-bef|before=Jim Kyle}}
{{s-ttl|title=Minority Leader of the Tennessee Senate|years=2015–2018}}
{{s-aft|after=Jeff Yarbro}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Lee}}
Category:20th-century African-American people
Category:21st-century African-American politicians
Category:African-American state legislators in Tennessee
Category:Mayors of places in Tennessee
Category:Morehouse College alumni
Category:Politicians from Memphis, Tennessee
Category:Democratic Party Tennessee state senators
Category:University of Memphis faculty
Category:Yale Law School alumni
Category:21st-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly