Julia Harrison

Julia Harrison (born June 10, 1920) is a Democrat who served as a New York City Councilwoman from Flushing, Queens, from 1986 to 2001, when newly enacted term-limit regulations forced her to relinquish her seat. Previously, she represented the 26th district in the New York State Assembly from 1984 to 1985 after working for many years as a community and political activist. Since leaving the council, she has continued to be politically active, most recently winning the post of Democratic female district leader from Assembly District 22 Part B, in 2010.

She was born Julia Hirsch on June 10, 1920, in Rochester, New York, the daughter of Henry Hirsch and Magdalena Hirsch. Henry, a laborer and factory worker, and Magdalena, a house cleaner and factory worker, both emigrated from Hungary as children, and married in 1919. The family later moved to New York City where Julia attended Public School Nr. 9 in Manhattan and New York Evening High School. In 1954, Julia Hirsch married Joseph Harrison and moved to Flushing, Queens.

While living in Flushing, Julia Harrison became a civic activist, involving herself in the union movement, parent-teacher associations, housing co-ops and more. She did not become politically active until 1968, when she participated in Eugene McCarthy’s presidential campaign. In 1972 she earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Queens College.

Harrison joined the Democratic Club of Flushing, Whitestone, College Point and in 1972, was elected District Leader for the New York State 26th Assembly District, Part A. Throughout the 1970s she continued to be re-elected to that position and unsuccessfully ran for New York State Senate in 1978. On May 24, 1983, she was elected to the New York State Assembly, to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Leonard P. Stavisky to the State Senate, and took her seat in the 185th New York State Legislature. In November 1984, she was re-elected to the 186th New York State Legislature. In November 1985, she was elected to the New York City Council.

In 1985, Harrison was elected to represent the 19th district on the New York City Council, becoming the first woman on the Council from the borough of Queens. At the time, the 19th district covered a large portion of northern Queens including Flushing, Whitestone, Beechhurst, Corona, Bayside and Douglaston. However, the city’s districts were soon changed and Harrison’s became the 20th, covering Flushing and a small part of Whitestone.

Committee assignments

During her Council tenure, Harrison served on the Committees for Aging, Education, Government Operations, Health, and Standards and Ethics. She chaired the Standards and Ethics Committee in 1991, and led the Committee on Aging for a number of years. As chair of the Aging Committee, she successfully led a campaign to assist senior citizens with the Senior Citizens Homeowners Exemption (SCHE) and Senior Citizens Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) programs. Her committee was also active in other areas, including the investigation of elder abuse; elderly drug abuse; and the state’s Expanded In-Home Services for the Elderly Program.

Harrison was also the chairperson of the Legislative Panel on Medical Technology. This panel investigated the use of acupuncture to treat health-threatening issues such as crack addiction, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. The panel’s advocacy was instrumental in opening the first acupuncture drug detoxification clinic in Queens at Queens General Hospital. In cooperation with the first Drug Court in New York, this clinic became an alternative to incarceration. The panel also created legislation to install condom machines in public sleeping facilities and to license prostitutes to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Flushing-focused efforts

Harrison and other community activists created the Coalition for a Planned Flushing in 1989, beginning a decade-long attempt to implement a controlled plan for the downtown area. She used her councilwoman’s land-use powers to plan certain areas of her district and acquired city council funds to hire an architect to create a plan for Flushing. Harrison also addressed constituent issues such as airplane safety, prostitution, the MTA’s renovation of the Flushing–Main Street subway station, the disrepair of Flushing’s Municipal Parking Garage, the erection of a Korean War Veterans monument, various construction issues, and more. In 1996, Councilwoman Harrison attracted a great deal of controversy when a New York Times article quoted her as saying Asian immigrants were “invaders” and “criminals.” She apologized for the remarks and stated they were taken out of context. Despite the incident, she was re-elected that fall for her final term in office.

As was the case with many of her City Council colleagues, Harrison’s Council career ended on December 31, 2001, when for the first time New York City politicians could not run for the same office they previously held. In 2002, Julia Harrison donated some of her records, covering her years as Councilwoman of Flushing (1986-2001), to the Queens Library Archives.