Harris was born in
New York City. He graduated from
Columbia College in 1951, and received a LL.B. from
Yale Law School in 1954. Harris also served as an alternate member of the
National Capital Planning Commission. On July 20, 1977, President
Jimmy Carter named Harris to the
National Mediation Board, which governs labor relations in the railroad and airline fields. He twice served as chairman from 1979 to 1980 and from 1982 to 1983 and was reappointed to the board by Presidents
Jimmy Carter and
Ronald Reagan, serving until 1984. Harris was the
International Monetary Fund's ombudsman from 1984 until 1989, then worked as an arbitrator and mediator in the airline industry. In the presidencies of
Ronald Reagan and
Bill Clinton, Harris served on various presidential emergency boards, which convene when labor disputes threaten to interrupt interstate commerce. Harris served as a trustee of the
National Cathedral School and lived in
Washington, D.C. until 1994, when he moved to
Chevy Chase, Maryland. He died of pancreatic cancer Oct. 1, 2007 at
Georgetown University Hospital. == References ==