Edgar Garrard Harris was born June 14, 1876 in Huntsville, Mississippi. The extent of his formal education is unknown, but he was admitted to the state bar in 1909.
At the age of 16, Harris took a job “sticking type” for The Enterprise in Stewart, Mississippi. One year later, he became a pressman for the Ackerman Phagocyte. Two years later, now sporting a beard to look older, Harris was named editor of the Eupora Times (a weekly paper later owned by his grandchildren as The Webster Progress Times).
At age 22, Harris served as a second lieutenant in the Spanish-American War. Upon returning from the war in 1899, he founded The Anniston Star and also served a term as mayor of Anniston, Alabama.
In the early years of the 20th century, Harris traveled the South, the Southwest and the West—and along the way was associated with newspapers in New Orleans, El Paso, Denver and San Antonio.
Harris founded the Laurel Leader Call in 1909, serving as editor for nine years. During this period, he also served as the city’s postmaster. He served as president of the Mississippi Press Association in 1922 for two years.
Following a brief stint as owner of the Courier News in Blytheville, Arkansas, Harris in 1928 moved to West Point, Mississippi and purchased the weekly Times Herald and Leader newspapers. For a time, he combined the papers into the Times Leader as a semi-weekly publication. But in 1931, he changed the format to a five-day daily. At the time, the Daily Times Leader was the smallest daily in the U.S.
Harris served as editor and publisher of the Times Leader until his death. While in West Point, Harris was active in city, county and community affairs. He served as president of the West Point Rotary Club, president of the Clay County Chamber of Commerce and was a deacon of the First Baptist Church.
His wife, Beulah L. Harris, worked at his side in West Point as advertising manager of the newspaper and was active in community affairs and the MPA.
His son, William Henry Harris, was posthumously inducted into the MPA Hall of Fame in its inaugural class in 1986.
Harris died on April 30, 1953 in West Point at the age of 76 following an impressive 62-year career in journalism.
