Happy Birthday Paul Harris

Paul Harris was born in Racine, Wisconsin on April 19, 1868. In 1900, after dining with another lawyer in a residential section of Chicago, he was impressed by the fact that his friend stopped at several stores and shops in the neighborhood and introduced him to the proprietors who were friends. This experience caused him to wonder why he couldn't make social friends out of at least some of his law clients.

On February 23, 1905, Paul Harris held the first club meeting with Silvester Schiele, a coal merchant, Gustavus Loehr, a mining engineer, and Hiram Shorey, a merchant tailor in attendance. It was on this day when Rotary - indeed the entire service club movement - was born.  The new club was named "Rotary" because the members met in rotation in their various places of business. When he passed away on January 27, 1947 he was president emeritus of Rotary International.

Most Rotarians may not know that Paul Harris made his main contributions to Rotary as a young man. He was only 37 years old when he founded Rotary. He was only 44 when his two-year term as President of the International Association of Rotary Clubs (later renamed Rotary International) ended in 1912.

After 1912, Paul Harris had no formal position in Rotary. He continued to influence and inspire Rotary and Rotarians for the rest of his life.

Here are examples of Paul Harris' wisdom:

"A well ordered mind is a possession more valuable than unlimited riches."

"It is just as easy to acquire the habit of speaking kindly as it is to acquire the habit of speaking unkindly."

"The Rotary of today is different from the Rotary of yesterday and the Rotary of tomorrow cannot, must not, be the same as the Rotary of today."

Read the full biography of Paul Harris.