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PAUL PERCY HARRIS
(1868 - 1947)
Paul P. Harris the founder of Rotary, was born at Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.A. on 19th April 1868. When he was three years old
he was taken to Wallingford, Vermont, to live with his paternal grandparents. The Black River Academy at Ludlow, Vermont and
Vermont Academy at Saxtons River prepared him for his studies at the university of Vermont, Princeton University and the University
of Luwa. Following his graduation from the law school of the University of Luwa in 1891, he spend the next five years in seeing
the world and in coming to know his fellow men before setting down to practice law in Chicago. He worked as a Newspaper Reporter,
a Business College Teacher, a Stock Company Actor, as a Cowboy and as a Salesmen for the Marble and Granite concern, before
finally setting in Chicago as Lawyer in 1896. In July 1910, he married Jean Thomson, a Scottish girl and a Co-member in Chicago
Praire Club.
He was the first chair U.S.A. and of the International society for crippled children. He was awarded Honorary Ph.D in
1933 by the University of Vermont. Elected President Emeritus of Rotary International in 1912, he was active in Rotary until
his death on January 27, 1947. Since 1905, the ideas on Paul Harris and his friends have become ideals which have been accepted
by people of practically all nationalities, and of many political and religious believes. Today there are Rotary Clubs in
Austria and America Samoa, in Brazil and Brunei, in India and Italy, in Russia and Poland, in Scotland and South Africa-in
some 200 countries and geographical regions. The universal acceptance of Rotary principles has been so great that there are
now more than 32000 Rotary Clubs, which have a membership of over, 1.2 million in 501 Districts.
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