Marion Edwyn Harrison II

LAWYER, CIVIC LEADER

MARION EDWYN HARRISON DIES AT 87

Marion Edwyn Harrison, 87 a retired Washington and Virginia lawyer active in cultural, professional, religious and political organizations, and President of Free Congress Research and Educational Foundation from 2007 to 2009, died peacefully on July 3rd 2019 at Vinson Hall Retirement Community with family by his side. He lived in Arlington, with a second home in Scottsdale, AZ.

Mr. Harrison, who served on the American Bar Association Board of Governors, 1982 to 1986, and in its House of Delegates for ten years, practiced law in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Zurich. His clients over the years included private mints, direct mailers, private international clients and political committees, including a 1988 presidential committee. He also incorporated two prolife organizations, American Life League, serving as its General Counsel for it first 25 years, and Human Life International, so serving for its first eight years. He was a founding member (now called administrative judge) of the Post Office Department of Contract Appeals and Post Office Associate General Counsel in the second Eisenhower Administration, the youngest in each position. He was Chairman of the American Bar’s Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Section, 1974 to 1975. President Nixon twice appointed him to the Counsel of Administrative Conference of the United States, upon which he served seven years; he was a Senior Conference Fellow 1984 – 1988. He was a member of the Federal Bar Association National Council, 1966 – 1982: and a delegate to Inter-American Bar conferences in Central and South America and in 1971 the public member of the USIA Inspection Team to Argentina.

Active in cultural affairs, from 1991 to 1997 he was a member of the Smithsonian National Board and was a member of the James Smithson Society. From 1984 to 1987 he was Chairman of Wolf Trap Associates. He also served as a Wolf Trap trustee.

Mr. Harrison was a D.C. Law Revision Commissioner the full duration of the Commission’s existence, 1975 to 1992.

Mr. Harrison was a Past President of the Young Republican Federation of Virginia, a former member of the Virginia Republican State Central Committee and in 1968 Virginia State co-chairman for the Nixon-Agnew Campaign.

His work with educational institutions included the presidency of the George Washington Law Alumni Association, 1974-1977; a term on the Army Judge Advocates General’s School Board of Visitors, and lecturing at the National Judicial College in Reno. He lectured abroad 13 summers with the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia – on Aix-en-Provence, Crete, Innsbruck, Istanbul, Nice, Rhodes, Sorrento, Thessaloniki, and Vienna. He also lectured once with the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, in Aix-en-Provence. He was an editor of the Administrative Law Review, 1976-1989, Editor-in-chief of the Federal Bar News, 1960 – 1963. He also wrote for various legal and other publications.

An Arlington resident since 1945, Mr. Harrison was a Capital Page School and University of Virginia graduate and held two degrees from The George Washington University, the youngest graduate in each class. He also was a graduate of the Infantry Officers’ School and the Army Judge Advocate General’s School and served on active duty as an Army judge advocate officer.

Mr. Harrison was a Knight of Malta, a lector at St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church, a life member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants and a member of the Military Order of the Carabao, and until retirement of the Council for National Policy, Federalist Society and Supreme Court Historical Society. He belonged to the Metropolitan Club, Washington Golf and Country Club, Farmington Country Club (Charlottesville, VA) and Gainey Ranch (AZ) Golf Club.

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Carmelita (“Lita”); three children, Mrs. Angelique H. Bounds, of Virginia Beach, M Edwyn Harrison III, M.D., of Scottsdale, AZ., Henry D. Harrison of Dallas, TX.; and four grandchildren.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday August 17 at St. Agnes Catholic Church at 1910 N. Randolph Street, Arlington Virginia at 10:30 a.m. Internment will be held at the Columbia Gardens Cemetery at 3411 Arlington Blvd, Arlington, VA 22101

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