Douglas Harlan Texas & National Politics collection

Rice University alumnus Douglas S. Harlan (Hanszen, '64)donated $1.1 million for a Rice program dedicated to studying state and local politics. The Douglas S. Harlan Program in State Elections, Campaigns and Politics will bring together Rice scholars from various disciplines and will have three components: an archive collection, research, and outreach and training. Lyn Ragsdale, dean of social sciences and a professor of political science, will administer the program.

After majoring in English at Rice, Harlan earned a master’s from Duke University along with a doctorate in political science and a law degree from the University of Texas. Later, he entered local politics, serving as deputy campaign manager for Paul Eggers in the Texas gubernatorial race and manager for D.C. Norwood’s congressional campaign. In addition to running his own campaigns for Congress in the early 1970s, Harlan served on the Alamo Community College District board and as Justice of the Peace in Bexar County Precinct 3. Harlan practiced law for 22 years, taught political science, served at senior levels of the federal government and with the city of San Antonio and published more than 600 articles in publications such as the Texas Observer, Texas Monthly, the American Journal of Criminal Law, Texas Bar Journal, the Ripon Forum and various Texas daily newspapers.

Harlan passed away in November, 2008.

Excerpted from http://the.ricethresher.org/news/2007/11/16/political_research_donation and http://www.rice.edu/sallyport/2008/spring/sallyport/StudyPoliticalCampaigns.html, both accessed on Dec. 21, 2009.