Harris Wofford introduced Obama in Philadelphia at the National Constitution Center before Obama's speech on race in America, "A More Perfect Union".
29 Facts About Harris Wofford
2.
Harris Wofford was born to a wealthy and prominent Southern family.
3.
Harris Wofford served in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War and was a 1948 graduate of the University of Chicago.
4.
Harris Wofford subsequently enrolled at historically black Howard Law School, the first white male student to do so.
5.
Harris Wofford began his public service career as a legal assistant for Rev Theodore M Hesburgh on the United States Commission on Civil Rights, serving from 1957 to 1959.
6.
Harris Wofford was an early supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the South in the 1950s, accompanying Indian activist Ram Manohar Lohia on a tour of the South in 1951 and becoming a friend and unofficial advisor to Martin Luther King Jr.
7.
Harris Wofford was raised an Episcopalian, and converted to Catholicism in the 1980s.
8.
Harris Wofford was instrumental in the formation of the Peace Corps and served as the Peace Corps' special representative to Africa and director of operations in Ethiopia.
9.
Harris Wofford was appointed associate director of the Peace Corps in 1964 and held that position until 1966.
10.
Harris Wofford participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.
11.
In 1966, Harris Wofford left politics to become president of the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
12.
At the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago, Harris Wofford risked his career by allowing himself to be arrested in protest of police brutality.
13.
Harris Wofford had previously considered running for office, but never thought the opportunity was quite right.
14.
Harris Wofford thus became the first Democrat to represent Pennsylvania in the Senate since Joe Clark left office in 1969.
15.
Harris Wofford began the campaign so far behind in the polls that most pundits assumed he had no chance of winning.
16.
Harris Wofford's campaign was run by Paul Begala and James Carville, and their dramatic success brought them to national attention.
17.
Harris Wofford's campaign pivoted on a promise of universal healthcare, and according to political scientist Jacob Hacker, helped propel healthcare reform into national discussion.
18.
Harris Wofford narrowly lost his 1994 bid for a full term to Republican Rep.
19.
From 1995 to 2001, Harris Wofford served as chief executive officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that runs AmeriCorps and other domestic volunteer programs.
20.
On January 4,2007, Harris Wofford was present for the swearing-in of Senator Bob Casey Jr.
21.
From 2001, Harris Wofford served on the boards of several charities and service organizations, including America's Promise, Youth Service America and the Points of Light Foundation.
22.
Harris Wofford was a trustee to the Martin Luther King Jr.
23.
Between 2007 and 2009, Harris Wofford was the national spokesperson for Experience Wave, a national campaign that sought to advance state and federal policies to make it easier for mid-life and older adults to stay engaged in work and community life.
24.
Harris Wofford was a board member of Malaria No More, a New York-based nonprofit that was launched at the 2006 White House Summit with the goal of ending all deaths caused by malaria.
25.
Harris Wofford served on the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service.
26.
Harris Wofford served as a senior fellow at the Case Foundation in Washington, DC.
27.
From 2012 to 2015, Harris Wofford served as a senior advisor to the Franklin Project, a policy program of the Aspen Institute that sought to make a year of service a common opportunity and expectation for young Americans.
28.
In January 1996, Clare Harris Wofford died of acute leukemia at age 69.
29.
On January 21,2019, Harris Wofford died at age 92 in Washington, DC, of complications from a fall.