Harry P. Cain

Who was Harry P. Cain?

Harry Pulliam Cain was a United States Senator from Washington who served as a Republican from 1946 to 1953. Today, Cain is mainly remembered for his very conservative and often highly controversial views as a member of the Senate, and as a friend and supporter of Senator Joseph McCarthy, but that picture is incomplete. Prior to his term in the Senate, he had served as the progressive, even liberal, Mayor of Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington. Following his Senate term he was widely recognized as a defender of the civil liberties of individuals accused of being security risks during the Eisenhower Administration and as a community activist and moderate Republican until his death in 1979. Cain was an orator and a writer of exceptional ability noted for his colorful, if often convoluted, style of speaking.

In a 1972 interview Cain described himself as being, "... basically a political pragmatist – from time to time and for different reasons a conservative, militant, liberal, moderate, purist, radical and now and again what some call a populist." Acknowledging that his career had been known for its inconsistencies, he said, "The record consists of doing the best I could when confronted by any situation demanding action."