Harry Fritz Interview, March 11, 2020

Harry Fritz describes growing up during the World War II era, and how his political views were shaped by his father’s support of the Democrat Party. He notes that his father credited Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs for his continued employment during the Great Depression. Fritz discusses attending Dartmouth College for a degree in chemistry, then switching to the University of Montana (UM) for a degree in history. He talks about studying with Professor Jules Karlin at UM who employed the Socratic method of teaching. He discusses his doctoral dissertation on Congressional voting behavior during the War of 1812 and how he later taught the history of Montana and the West after Dr. K. Ross Toole died. He notes that this background influenced him to run for the Montana State House of Representatives in 1984 against Betty Haddon, after learning that Dan Kemmis would not run in his Missoula district again. Fritz recalls some of the big issues in the legislature on which he voted, such as the coal severance tax and allowing historic property to be substituted for inheritance taxes. He also expresses his admiration for some of his colleagues including Bob Thoft, Francis Bardanouve, and Dorothy Bradley.