Pat Harrison - Early Life and Education

Early Life and Education

Pat Harrison was born at Crystal Springs, Mississippi. His father was a Confederate veteran of the Civil War and died in 1885. As a child, Harrison sold newspapers to supplement his family's income. After graduating as class valedictorian from Crystal Springs High School in 1899, he attended a summer term at the University of Mississippi before transferring to Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge on a baseball scholarship. He dropped out after two years due to a lack of funds but was brought on to pitch for the Pickens, Mississippi, semiprofessional baseball team in the Old Tomato League summer circuit. After his stint in semiprofessional baseball, Harrison moved to Leakesville, Mississippi, where he taught and later became principal of the local high school. While supporting himself as an educator, Harrison studied law. He passed the Mississippi State Bar and opened a law practice in 1902.

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