Michael P. Farris
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" P. Farris (born August 27, 1951) is a United States
constitutional
lawyer
. He is a founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association
(HSLDA) and Patrick Henry College
.
from Western Washington University
(formerly Western Washington State College). He received a law degree and graduated with honors from Gonzaga University
School of Law in Spokane, Washington
.Farris received an LLM in public international law (with merit) from the University of London in 2011.
He married in 1971 and has ten children and ten grandchildren. He and his wife Vickie began home schooling
in 1982, leading him to establish the Home School Legal Defense Association
in 1983.
He was also ordained as a Baptist
minister in 1983.
(HSLDA), where he currently serves as chairman and general counsel
. His efforts resulted in a number of court rulings and policy changes favoring home schooling.
He also founded Patrick Henry College
, which opened its doors in 2000. According to HSLDA, the college was founded as
He held the positions of president and professor of Government from 2000 to 2006. Farris resigned his position as president of HSLDA to take on these new roles. In March 2006, Farris stepped down from the position of president to become chancellor
of the college.
He has been appointed by the Governor of Virginia
to serve on the Board of Visitors for Mount Vernon
(the home of George Washington
).
Farris is also the author of several books on homeschooling and family as well as the book From Tyndale to Madison, published in 2007. He has also written a few novels
, including Guilt by Association (ISBN 978-0805401516), and Forbid them Not (ISBN 978-0805424331). All of Farris' novels deal with Christian themes.
Education Week
named Farris one of the most significant 100 "Faces of the Century."
case Witters v. Washington Department of Services For the Blind in 1985-1986.
In 1993, Farris ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor
of Virginia
and was defeated by Democrat
Don Beyer
— 54-46 percent. However, fellow Republican
s George Allen, Jr., and James Gilmore were elected on the same ballot as governor
and attorney general
, respectively. Farris' close connection to conservative leaders like Jerry Falwell
of the Moral Majority
, Pat Robertson
of the Christian Coalition, and Phyllis Schlafly
of the Eagle Forum
, stirred deep-seated feelings about religion and politics. These concerns inflamed by negative ads by Beyer to portray him even more radically, likely caused alienation of enough moderate voters to lose him the election. There was also soreness among Virginia Republicans for U.S. Senator John Warner
's lack of support for Farris.
Farris was the founder and chairman of the Madison Project, a political action committee
. He is also the founder of Generation Joshua
, an organization for the mobilization of Christian
youth to participate in politics and get out the vote. In 2007, he founded ParentalRights.org, a parental rights advocacy group.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
constitutional
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. He is a founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association
Home School Legal Defense Association
The Home School Legal Defense Association is a United States-based "nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms."...
(HSLDA) and Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College is a private, independent college with Evangelical Christian basis that focuses on teaching classical liberal arts and government, located in Purcellville, Virginia, United States The first college in the United States founded specifically for Christian home-schooled...
.
Personal life and education
Farris graduated magna cum laude with a degree in political sciencePolitical science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Western Washington University
Western Washington University
Western Washington University is one of six state-funded, four-year universities of higher education in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.-History:...
(formerly Western Washington State College). He received a law degree and graduated with honors from Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
School of Law in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
.Farris received an LLM in public international law (with merit) from the University of London in 2011.
He married in 1971 and has ten children and ten grandchildren. He and his wife Vickie began home schooling
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
in 1982, leading him to establish the Home School Legal Defense Association
Home School Legal Defense Association
The Home School Legal Defense Association is a United States-based "nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms."...
in 1983.
He was also ordained as a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister in 1983.
Career and achievements
In 1983, Farris founded the Home School Legal Defense AssociationHome School Legal Defense Association
The Home School Legal Defense Association is a United States-based "nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms."...
(HSLDA), where he currently serves as chairman and general counsel
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. His efforts resulted in a number of court rulings and policy changes favoring home schooling.
He also founded Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College is a private, independent college with Evangelical Christian basis that focuses on teaching classical liberal arts and government, located in Purcellville, Virginia, United States The first college in the United States founded specifically for Christian home-schooled...
, which opened its doors in 2000. According to HSLDA, the college was founded as
"...a Christian institution with the mission of training students through a classical liberal arts curriculum and apprenticeship methodology to impact the world 'for Christ and for Liberty.'"
He held the positions of president and professor of Government from 2000 to 2006. Farris resigned his position as president of HSLDA to take on these new roles. In March 2006, Farris stepped down from the position of president to become chancellor
Chancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of the college.
He has been appointed by the Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
to serve on the Board of Visitors for Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon (plantation)
Mount Vernon, located near Alexandria, Virginia, was the plantation home of the first President of the United States, George Washington. The mansion is built of wood in neoclassical Georgian architectural style, and the estate is located on the banks of the Potomac River.Mount Vernon was designated...
(the home of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
).
Farris is also the author of several books on homeschooling and family as well as the book From Tyndale to Madison, published in 2007. He has also written a few novels
Christian novel
A Christian novel is any novel that expounds and illustrates a Christian world view in its plot, its characters, or both, or which deals with Christian themes in a positive way.-The tradition of Christian fiction:...
, including Guilt by Association (ISBN 978-0805401516), and Forbid them Not (ISBN 978-0805424331). All of Farris' novels deal with Christian themes.
Education Week
Education Week
Education Week is a United States national newspaper covering K-12 education. It is published by Editorial Projects in Education , a non-profit organization, which is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland...
named Farris one of the most significant 100 "Faces of the Century."
Legal and political career
As a lawyer, Farris's cases include over 40 reported decisions as lead counsel. These decisions were given by the United States Supreme Court, five U.S. circuit courts of Appeal, seven state Supreme Courts, and five state Courts of Appeal. Farris successfully argued for the petitioner in a religious freedom case, the Supreme CourtSupreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
case Witters v. Washington Department of Services For the Blind in 1985-1986.
In 1993, Farris ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and was defeated by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Don Beyer
Don Beyer
Donald Sternoff "Don" Beyer, Jr. is the U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In addition, he owns automobile dealerships in Virginia, and has a long record involved in community, political and philanthropic work....
— 54-46 percent. However, fellow Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
s George Allen, Jr., and James Gilmore were elected on the same ballot as governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
and attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
, respectively. Farris' close connection to conservative leaders like Jerry Falwell
Jerry Falwell
Jerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. was an evangelical fundamentalist Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and a conservative commentator from the United States. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia...
of the Moral Majority
Moral Majority
The Moral Majority was a political organization of the United States which had an agenda of evangelical Christian-oriented political lobbying...
, Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson
Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson is a media mogul, television evangelist, ex-Baptist minister and businessman who is politically aligned with the Christian Right in the United States....
of the Christian Coalition, and Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis McAlpin Stewart Schlafly is a Constitutional lawyer and an American politically conservative activist and author who founded the Eagle Forum. She is known for her opposition to modern feminism ideas and for her campaign against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment...
of the Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum is a conservative interest group in the United States founded by Phyllis Schlafly in 1972 and is the parent organization that also includes the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund and the Eagle Forum PAC. The Eagle Forum has been primarily focused on social issues; it describes...
, stirred deep-seated feelings about religion and politics. These concerns inflamed by negative ads by Beyer to portray him even more radically, likely caused alienation of enough moderate voters to lose him the election. There was also soreness among Virginia Republicans for U.S. Senator John Warner
John Warner
John William Warner, KBE is an American Republican politician who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Senator from Virginia from January 2, 1979, to January 3, 2009...
's lack of support for Farris.
Farris was the founder and chairman of the Madison Project, a political action committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
. He is also the founder of Generation Joshua
Generation Joshua
Generation Joshua is an American Christian youth organization founded in 2003 that aims to encourage young people to learn about and become involved in government, history, civics, and politics...
, an organization for the mobilization of Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
youth to participate in politics and get out the vote. In 2007, he founded ParentalRights.org, a parental rights advocacy group.
External links
- Office of the President Reviewed July 9, 2005.
- About HSLDA Reviewed July 9, 2005.
- Michael P. Farris, Esq. Reviewed July 9, 2005.
- Farris on Drive Thru History America on YouTube