Eugene Patterson Harris

Last updated
Pat Harris
Pat Harris Headshot.jpg
Born (1958-08-16) August 16, 1958 (age 62)
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of Arkansas (BA) University of Michigan (JD)
OccupationU.S. Senate Candidate, Criminal Defense Lawyer, Author.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Carol Welsman
Website https://www.PatHarrisForSenate.com/

Pat Harris (born Eugene Patterson Harris, August 16, 1958) is a United States Senate Candidate, criminal defense and civil rights attorney, and author.

Contents

In July 2017, Harris entered the race to represent California in the United States Senate in 2018. [1] [2] He was defeated in the primary by the incumbent, Senator Dianne Feinstein

Early life

Harris grew up in Clarksville, Arkansas where he attended the University of Arkansas, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in History. [3] His father was an industrial engineer at the local shoe factory and his mother was an eighth-grade history teacher. [4] Upon graduating from college, he worked in Washington D.C. as a legislative assistant for Bill Alexander, former democratic congressman from Arkansas.

In 1993, Harris received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Career

Upon graduating from law school, he took a job in the Davidson County Public Defender's Office for two years before joining Geragos & Geragos in 1996 as a criminal defense lawyer. [5]

Harris was a lawyer with Geragos and Geragos [6] based in Los Angeles, California for 15 years. In 2012, he set up his own practice, The Law Offices of Pat Harris, which specialized in criminal defense and civil rights cases. I

From 1996 through 1998, he was co-counsel to Whitewater defendant Susan McDougal in two separate cases. The first one was in Los Angeles, California, and the second in Little Rock, Arkansas. She was found not guilty in both cases. The verdict in the second case was often cited as the beginning of the downfall for Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth Starr. [7] [8]

In 2010, he successfully sued the Glendale Police Department for falsely arresting his client, Edmond Ovasapyan, for murder. The jury awarded Ovasapyan over $2 million (the award was reduced to $1.2 million by the judge). . [9]

In 2013, he represented Will Lynch who was accused of beating a priest who he said molested him and his brother 40 years earlier. [10] Lynch pleaded not guilty to felony assault charges against Father Jerold Lindner at the Los Gatos Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in May 2010. [6] A two week trial was held in the San Jose courthouse, in which Lynch admitted that he had assaulted the priest who had molested him. Despite the admission, Lynch was acquitted of the charges. [10]

2018 U.S. Senate election

Harris announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate from California in 2017. [11] He ran as a Democrat. He came in 4th in the primary, receiving 1.9% of the vote. [12]

Books

Harris co-authored Susan McDougal's autobiography, Susan McDougal: The Woman Who Wouldn't Talk [5] [13] and Mistrial: An Inside Look at How the Criminal Justice System Works ... and Sometimes Doesn't with Mark Geragos. [14]

Personal life

Harris resides in Los Angeles, California with his wife Carol Welsman, a jazz vocalist and pianist. [15] [4]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. "PAT HARRIS FOR SENATE 2018 - committee overview - FEC.gov". FEC.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
  2. "Home". Pat Harris for U.S. Senate. Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
  3. "Meet Pat". Pat Harris for U.S. Senate. Archived from the original on 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  4. 1 2 "CAROL WELSMAN". CAROL WELSMAN. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
  5. 1 2 "Eugene Patterson Harris".
  6. 1 2 Sanchez, Sheila (14 May 2012). "Jury Selection Begins in Los Gatos Priest Beating Case". Los Gatos Patch. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  7. "McDougal breaks her court silence, supports Clinton testimony in case | Lubbock Online | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal". lubbockonline.com. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  8. Susan., McDougal (2004) [2003]. The woman who wouldn't talk. Harris, Pat (Patrick) (1st trade pbk. ed.). New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. ISBN   078671302X. OCLC   55799358.
  9. 1957-, Geragos, Mark (2013). Mistrial : an inside look at how the criminal justice system works ... and sometimes doesn't . Harris, Pat (Patrick). New York, New York. ISBN   978-1592408443. OCLC   809186914.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. 1 2 DeSocio, Jeffrey Thomas (9 July 2012). "Attorney Pat Harris discusses Will Lynch's acquittal for beating a priest" . Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  11. "Harris, Eugene Patterson - Candidate overview - FEC.gov". FEC.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-15.
  12. Ballotopedia
  13. Gormley, Ken (1 June 2003). "The Woman Who Wouldn't Talk by Susan McDougal with Pat Harris" . Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  14. Lat, David (10 April 2013). "A Few Good Defense Lawyers". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  15. "Meet Pat". Pat Harris for U.S. Senate. Archived from the original on 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2017-08-15.