27/01/2026
Tributes to Paul P. Harris : 27 January 1947
80th Death Anniversary of Paul Percival Harris
(19 April 1868โ27 January 1947) was a Chicago-based attorney and the founder of Rotary International, the world's first service organization.
Key Facts and Legacy
Founding of Rotary: On February 23, 1905, Harris held the first meeting with three associatesโSilvester Schiele, Gustavus Loehr, and Hiram Shoreyโin Room 711 of the Unity Building in Chicago. He named the club "Rotary" because members originally rotated meetings among their various places of business.
Early Life and Education: Born in Racine, Wisconsin, on April 19, 1868, he was raised primarily by his grandparents in Vermont. He earned his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1891 and worked several odd jobs, including as a cowboy, actor, and marble salesman, before settling in Chicago in 1896.
Service Evolution: While the club began for friendship and professional networking, Harris soon pushed for a greater purpose. In 1907, under his leadership as the club's third president, Rotary initiated its first public service project: constructing public toilets in Chicago.
Paul Harris Fellow: Established in 1957 in his honor, this recognition is awarded to individuals who contribute $1,000 or more to The Rotary Foundation or exemplify the ideal of "Service Above Self".
Personal Life: He married Jean Thomson in 1910; she accompanied him on many global tours to promote the organization
Death: Harris died on January 27, 1947, at the age of 78 in Chicago. His autobiography, My Road to Rotary, was published posthumously in 1948.
Harris was born on 19 April 1868 in Racine, Wisconsin, USA. At age 3, he moved to Wallingford, Vermont, where he grew up in the care of his paternal grandparents. He attended the University of Vermont and Princeton University and received his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1891.
In 1896, Harris settled in Chicago and opened a law practice. Four years later, he met fellow attorney Bob Frank for dinner on Chicagoโs North Side. They walked around the area, stopping at shops along the way. Harris was impressed that Frank was friendly with many of the shopkeepers. He had not seen this kind of camaraderie among businessmen since moving to Chicago and wondered if there was a way to channel it, because it reminded him of growing up in Wallingford.
โThe thought persisted that I was experiencing only what had happened to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of others in the great city. ... I was sure that there must be many other young men who had come from farms and small villages to establish themselves in Chicago. ... Why not bring them together? If others were longing for fellowship as I was, something would come of it.โ
Harris eventually persuaded several business associates to discuss the idea of forming an organization for local professionals. On 23 February 1905, Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram Shorey gathered at Loehrโs office in downtown Chicago for what would become known as the first Rotary club meeting.
In February 1907, Harris was elected the third president of the Rotary Club of Chicago. Toward the end of his presidency, he worked to expand Rotary beyond the city. Some club members resisted, not wanting to take on the additional financial burden. But Harris persisted, and by 1910, Rotary had expanded to several other major U.S. cities.
Harris recognized the need to form a national association with an executive board of directors. In August 1910, Rotarians held their first national convention in Chicago, where the 16 existing clubs were unified as the National Association of Rotary Clubs (now Rotary International). The new association unanimously elected Harris as its president.
At the end of his second term as Rotary president, Harris resigned, citing ill health and the demands of his professional practice and personal life. He was elected president emeritus by convention action, a title he held until his death.
In the mid-1920s, Harris became actively involved in Rotary again, serving as the public face of the organization. To promote membership and service, he attended conventions and visited clubs throughout the world, often accompanied by his wife, Jean.
Harris died on 27 January 1947 in Chicago at age 78, after a prolonged illness. Before his death, he made it known that he preferred contributions to The Rotary Foundation in lieu of flowers. By coincidence, days before he died, Rotary leaders had committed to a major fundraising effort for the Foundation.
Upon news of his death, Rotary created the Paul Harris Memorial Fund as a way to solicit these donations. Rotarians were encouraged to commemorate the late founder of Rotary by contributing to the fund, which would be used for purposes dear to Harrisโ heart. In the 18 months following his death, The Rotary Foundation received $1.3 million, which helped support the Foundationโs first program โ scholarships for graduate study abroad.
PP Mohammed Rezaul Karim mphf
Past President, Rorary Club of Chittagong Sagorika
District Secretary 2017-18, RID 3282 Bangladesh
TRF Cadre Adviser of Rotary International
