Frederick David Harris

Frederick David Harris, 81, known as David, died peacefully at George Washington University Hospital in Washington on May 28, 2018, with his wife Susan Koch by his side. He had complications from a fall two weeks earlier.

In addition to his wife, of Washington, David is survived by his daughter Katherine Harris (Eric Lawrence), son Frederick Baird Harris (Raxa), grandsons Bradley Lawrence, Matthew Lawrence, Daniel Harris, and first wife Marguerite Hall, all of Potomac, MD, and sister Mildred Ellett of Azusa, CA. He was predeceased by his parents Brigadier General Frederick Mixon Harris (USA) and Dorothy Barwise Harris, and his sisters Dorothy Davis and Anne Redd.

David was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on October 28, 1936. As the child of a military family, he moved frequently during his early life, especially during the Second World War; he estimated that he had lived at 34 different addresses before he was 18. David received a BA and MPA at the University of Michigan in 1928 and 1960, and did Ph.D. work at the University of California at Berkeley. David first entered government service in 1961 at the U.S. Department of Labor as an OPM Management Intern. He later worked on urban development policy and projects in a variety of positions, including at the Urban Renewal Administration of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the New York State Urban Development Corporation, and the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation. His final position was in real estate development at the U.S. Postal Service. One of his projects there, of which he was particularly proud, was the redevelopment of the City Post Office next to Union Station. He loved sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and solving crossword puzzles in pen. He was a voracious reader. Books about the Civil War and the Eastern Front of the Second World War were among his favorites.

David’s family will hold a private memorial event for him in Washington at a later date. Any contributions in David’s honor may be made to the George Washington Medical Faculty Associates (https://www.gwdocs.com/online-giving) , who provided him skilled and compassionate care over many years.