Harris, Lou (1921-)

LOUIS HARRIS, ONE of the earliest pollsters, founded Louis Harris and Associates, a leading survey research firm. Harris has also been a newspaper columnist and authored or co-authored a number of books on public opinion in America. Harris was born in New Haven, Connecticut. His parents were Harry Harris, a real estate developer, and Frances Smith Harris. He graduated with a Bachelors degree in Economics from the University of North Carolina, 1942.

Following service with the U.S. Navy during World War II, Harris worked for Elmer Roper, one of the pioneers of survey research. Working for Elmer Roper and Associates (which Roper founded in 1933), he wrote the pollster's newspaper columns and radio scripts. After the 1948 election, when Roper and virtually every other pollster incorrectly predicted that Thomas Dewey would defeat Harry Truman, Roper put Harris in charge of his political polling. Harris worked for Roper from 1946 to 1956.

In 1954, Harris published Is There a Republican Majority?. Political Trends, 1952–1956. In what is regarded by many as the seminal book on political polling, Harris suggests that polls were more important for explaining electoral outcomes rather than for predicting them. Other books would follow. In 1956, he founded his own firm, Louis Harris and Associates. Harris was the pollster for John F Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign, the first pollster to work for a presidential candidate. Over the years, Harris' firm worked for more than 200 political candidates, advising them on campaign strategy. The firm also worked for a number of commercial clients, conducting market research. In 1963, the company started the Harris Poll surveys of public opinion on political and social issues, which was syndicated to newspapers throughout the United States. In order to project the impartiality of his polling, Harris ended his work for political clients. In 1969, Harris sold his business to Donaldson, Lufkin, and Jenrette, a brokerage firm. Harris remained with the company as its chief executive and principal pollster.

In 1975, the polling firm was sold to Gannett, the newspaper chain. Harris continued his leadership role with the company, and he created the Harris Perspective, a public opinion service that cost its subscribers (primarily major corporations) $25,000 annually. In 1992, Harris amicably left the firm that bore his name to found L.H. Research. Harris formed L.H. Research with Robert F Wagner, Jr., a former New York City deputy mayor (whose father had served as mayor of New York City and grandfather had been a U.S. senator). Harris was chair and Wagner, vice chair, of the new firm. The goal of the firm was to focus on international issues and international market research. Both Louis Harris and Associates and L.H. Research would share the Louis Harris name. Louis Harris and Associates continued the Harris Poll, while L.H. Research would publish its findings as Surveys by Louis Harris. Wagner died suddenly in San Antonio, Texas in November of 1993 at the age of 49, while researching a book on urban America. Wagner's death resulted in the dissolution of the firm in early 1994.

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