Rotary Global History Fellowship

Jean Thomson Harris

Date
November 8, 1881 – November 9, 1963
Type
biography
Era
Founding Era, 1905-1911 · Postwar Growth, 1946-1969

Jean Thomson Harris (1881–1963) was the Scottish-born wife of Rotary founder Paul Harris, whom she met during a hiking trip when she offered to mend his torn jacket. The couple married despite a 14-year age gap, and their life together included travels such as a 1934 homecoming visit to Edinburgh, where Jean was honored at a civic banquet.

The piece includes Paul Harris's own reflections from his memoir "My Road to Rotary," describing domestic life with Jean at their home, "Comely Bank," and her role tending the fireside and hosting visitors. It also notes a discrepancy in Paul's recorded age on their marriage…

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