Fred Harris, a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, has passed away.

He was 94.

Harris served in the Oklahoma Senate from 1957 to 1964 and the U.S. Senate from 1964 to 1973.

He unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972 and 1976.

After 1976, he worked as a professor at the University of New Mexico.

Fmr Sen.Fred Harris (D-OK),last surviving mbr of the Kerner Commission on causes of 1960s riots,died at 94.He spoke in 2018 on 50th anniversary of its report which "not only shocked the conscious of the nation,but greatly upset Pres. Johnson."@cspanhistory https://t.co/fi3VuWvMuu pic.twitter.com/ronCHN5G1m

— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) November 24, 2024

Fred Harris, a former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, presidential hopeful and populist who championed Democratic Party reforms in the turbulent 1960s, died Saturday. He was 94. https://t.co/X0EZvTtoU5

— PBS News (@NewsHour) November 24, 2024

Harris’ wife, Margaret Elliston, confirmed his death to the Associated Press.

“Fred Harris passed peacefully early this morning of natural causes. He was 94. He was a wonderful and beloved man. His memory is a blessing,” Elliston told the outlet via text message.

From the Associated Press:

Harris served eight years in the Senate, first winning in 1964 to fill a vacancy, and made unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1976.

It fell to Harris, as chairman of the Democratic National Committee in 1969 and 1970, to help heal the party’s wounds from the tumultuous national convention in 1968 when protesters and police clashed in Chicago.

He ushered in rule changes that led to more women and minorities as convention delegates and in leadership positions.

“I think it’s worked wonderfully,” Harris recalled in 2004, when he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. “It’s made the selection much more legitimate and democratic.”

Fred Harris, former senator from Oklahoma and presidential hopeful, dies at 94 https://t.co/TzDLX5qm9w

— POLITICO (@politico) November 24, 2024

As DNC Chair, US Senator, activist, author, mentor, and so much more, Democrats everywhere will remember Fred for his unparalleled integrity and as a pioneer for instituting core progressive values of equity and opportunity for prosperity as core tenets of our party.

— Democratic Party of New Mexico (@NMDEMS) November 23, 2024

Per Daily Caller:

In 1968, Harris, then 37, was shortlisted in consideration for the role as Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey’s vice president, the outlet noted.

Harris became a political science professor at the University of New Mexico in 1976, AP reported. He resided in the state since then, going on to write and edit a dozen books, many about politics and Congress.

The Democratic Party of New Mexico issued a statement which remembered Harris as a vocal advocate against poverty and racial discrimination.

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