John R. Harris

The Warden and Me John R. Harris

The author, John R. Harris was born in 1931. At the age of 7, he moved to the Utah State Penitentiary to begin a 10 year period of his life. His father, John E. Harris became Warden of the prison in the 1930?s. ?John Robert Harris wrote this book filled with gripping tales of escapes, the death of a prisoner by firing squad and how Harris as a young boy, was able to get inmates to work for him for pennies-on-the-dollar.? Mandy Feder, Managing Editor of the Lake County Record Bee would write in her article that appeared in the paper on September 21, 2011. Warden John E. Harris was referred to as, a quiet, strong man with a purpose of helping men and boys while being the Chief of Police and the Warden of Provo, Utah John was a boy and he learned many lessons while growing up in the prison. In 1993, after having a triple bypass heart surgery, he taped these stories on a recorder and then his wife transcribed the tapes to paper. It was meant to be a memoir for his children and grandchildren. However, by repeated requests, we decided to turn these stories into a book for the general population. Our hope is that you enjoy reading this account of his childhood as much as his family savored these stories through the years!