Jim Harris, a Louisiana business advocate for more than three decades who was known for his gentlemanly demeanor and three-piece suits, died of an extended illness this week in Baton Rouge at the age of 77.
Harris was president of Harris, DeVille & Associates, a communications company specializing in issues management that represented numerous manufacturing companies, including those in the Louisiana energy sector, as well as chemical firms, medical associations and accountants.
Jim Patterson, the interim president and CEO of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, said Harris was a mentor of sorts and a calming and wise influence in the give and take of politics.
“Jim was a remarkable individual and had a sonorous deep voice that was always calm and even, which I think always served him well as he represented his business clients,” Patterson told the Louisiana Record. “... He was the consummate gentleman. He was always very courteous and cordial. He was not one whose feathers were ruffled easily.”
Harris spent his early years in Franklin, where he displayed an interest in journalism, and later attended what is now the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, according to NOLA.com.
He was a veteran of all facets of government and public affairs, according to the Harris, DeVille & Associates website.
“He has lobbied the Legislature, executive and regulatory branches of Louisiana government for clients on a daily basis for more than 30 years,” the company’s biography of Harris says. “Over the years, Jim has developed and managed numerous multi-industry coalitions in the legislative and public policy arenas.”
Previously, he worked for media organizations, as press secretary for former Gov. Edwin Edwards and in management positions for state agencies, including those responsible for environmental quality and economic development.
In January, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute of Legal Reform, which owns the Record, awarded Harris a national “Legal Reform Champion” award for his efforts to advance tort reform and his work with the Louisiana Coalition for Common Sense.
“He was a good role model for anyone who wants to get into the business of politics – the effort to try and resolve conflict," Patterson said.