Oscar Harris was born on March 4, 1896 in Corinth to George Harris and Sarah Elizabeth Williams. When the 1900 federal census was taken the farming family was located on a rental farm in Northern Township (now called Corinth Township). Father, George, 29 and mother, Sarah 27, reported that they had birthed two children and both children were living with them. The children were Ola J. 6 and Oscar R. 3.
The same year of the 1900 census, Oscar’s mother, Sarah, passed away. Likely unable to handle the growing children, George lived separately and sent the children to live with their widowed grandfather Alisie Harris in Spillertown which is where they were found in the 1910 census. Alisie was 76 and living in a house that he owned free of mortgage. Oscar at that time was 13 and his older sister Ola was 16.
On October 29, 1914, Oscar married Estelle Murphy and they appear to have quickly moved into Marion to live. When Oscar filled out his WWI draft record in 1917, the couple was living on N. Logan Street. Oscar was then 21 years old and described as a coal miner working for the Wallace Brothers out of Marion. He was physically described as medium height and slender with brown eyes and black hair.
When the 1920 census was taken, Oscar 28 and Estelle 21 were living in a rental home at 910 N. Garfield Street and Oscar was working as a coal loader at a coal mine. By 1922, a Marion street directory listed the couple as living at 1214 N. Market Street where their son, William L. Harris, was born.
Ads that ran in 1926 in the local Marion paper advertised Oscar R. Harris Transfer, Coal and trunk hauling, meaning he then had a moving and trucking business. When he and Estelle were listed in a 1928-29 Marion directory he was in the transfer (moving) business living at 1309 N. Van Buren St.
In the 1930 federal census, Oscar 34 and Estelle 32 were living in a rental home and Oscar was listed as a transfer man truck driver. They were paying $10 per month in rent.
A political article written about him in the 1960’s indicated that Oscar had worked as a coal miner for 18 years, worked as a city constable from 1935 to 1939 and started working for F.E. Holmes & Son Construction Company in 1940. A 1934 city directory listed the couple as living at 1003 N. Court Street.
When the 1940 census was taken, Oscar 44 and Estelle 42 were living in a home they finally owned at 707 N. Highland Street and valued it at $2,000. They had one son named William L. aged 16 and Oscar was listed as a state highway worker.
When Oscar filled out his WWII draft record he was 46 years old and still living on Highland Street. He listed working at the ordnance plant for Boyle & Healy out of Marion. He was physically described as 5’ 11”, 165 lbs., with brown eyes, black hair and a light complexion.
After Oscar’s first wife, Estelle, passed away in 1948 he remarried the following year on February 4, 1949 to Virginia Lyerla Woodard.
In the 1950 census, Oscar 54 and Virginia 34 were still living in his old home at 707 N. Highland Street with Delores J. Whittington his 13 year old step daughter in the home. Oscar was a foreman/manager at a concrete block plant named Marion Block Company until it was sold. Virginia at the time was working as a domestic in a doctor’s office in town.
In 1952, Oscar ran for precinct committeeman as a democrat for West Marion and got on the ballot but lost in the election. Not being discouraged, he ran for city council in the April 1955 city elections but lost again.
Once again, Oscar ran for city council in the 1959 elections and won this time under Mayor Robert Cooksey. He was appointed the position of Health and Public Safety Commissioner for the city of Marion with a term that was supposed to last until 1963. It was mentioned in this election that Oscar had attended Marion grade schools and was a member of the Church of the Nazarene.
Later in the year he was elected to the Marion city council, Oscar applied to be on the 1960 primary ballot to run for Williamson County Commissioner and won the spring 1960 primary and later won the general election in November. This almost immediately created the problem of holding down two government jobs at the same time. It was eventually determined that he couldn’t do both so he resigned his position as city commissioner on January 10, 1961. Theoretically, Mayor Cooksey had 30 days after his resignation to have the remaining council members select a new commissioner. Failing that, they were supposed to hold a special city election to replace the commissioner. However, it wasn’t until nearly the end of the term before Harris’ position was replaced by Dr. Everett E. Jeter in February 1962.
Harris was named head of the county commissioner’s board in December 1962 with his term to expire in January 1963. When his term was up, he ran again for re-election in 1963 and won again for a second term. Harris was made Chairman of the Board for Williamson County Commissioners in 1963 and then again in 1964 and 1965 until his second term was up.
Harris ran for a third term as county commissioner in 1966 but finally lost. Not giving politics up though, he ran for precinct committeeman again in 1968.
Oscars’ second wife, Virginia, passed away on August 31, 1969 and was buried at Maplewood Cemetery. He re-married a third time in 1972 to Sadie McGhee.
Oscar himself passed away on June 20, 1980 at his home at 1207 Lincoln Drive in Marion. He was a precinct committeeman for 42 years and active in the Democratic Party. He was a member of the First Church of the Nazarene, Teamsters Local 347 and the Marion Hod Carriers Local 577.
In addition to his wife and son William, he is survived by one grandson, William Michael Harris of Marion and one sister, Ola Jones of West Frankfort. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Three years after Oscar’s death, his third wife, Sadie, passed away on March 25, 1983. Burial was in the Masonic and Oddfellows Cemetery in Benton.
Notes on Children:
William L. Harris, born August 30, 1923, married Anna L. Simpson September 19, 1941 in Cape Girardeau, Mo., served on Marion City Council 1963-1967, Illinois senator from 59th district and state representative of 59 the district in 1977. Died in Marion July 2, 2013.
(Sources: Federal census records, WWI and WWII draft records, Marion city street directories, Marion City Cemetery records, Southern Illinoisan, Marion Evening Post, Marion Weekly Leader, Marion Daily Republican. Compiled by Sam Lattuca on 8/31/2024)