Former state Rep. Marshall Harris dies

Marshall Stanton Harris, a powerful Democratic legislator from Miami-Dade County in the 1960s and '70s — running mate of then-Attorney General Jim Smith in an unsuccessful 1986 bid for governor — died Monday (Nov. 2, 2009) of cancer at his Coral Gables home, said his son, Andrew. He was 77.

Mr. Harris, who served in the House from 1966 to 1974, was known for his mastery of state budgets. He chaired the House Appropriations Committee.

Born in Detroit, he was 2 when his family moved to South Florida. After graduating from Miami Beach High School, he earned both an undergraduate and a law degree from Harvard University.

He practiced real property law until he left the Legislature, then joined Harris Travel Service, the South Miami agency that his wife, Harriet, founded and still runs with son Andrew.

In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Harris is survived by daughters Jennifer Harris Kay of Golden Beach and Jessica Harris of Virginia Beach, Va., and a brother, Dr. Bernard L. Harris of Coral Gables. Son Steven died in a 1978 car accident.