1923-
Murderer

Early Years.

Jean Harris was born Jean Struven on 27 April 1923 in Chicago, Illinois. Her father was a successful but bigoted engineer who was verbally abusive to those who disagreed with him. Despite his attitude, she enjoyed a privileged upper-middle-class lifestyle and did well in school. She married James Harris and they led a happy existence, with Jim working at a carburetor manufacturer and Jean working as a teacher. However, a silent growing discontent was awakening in Jean. In 1964 she finally decided to end the marriage, and she obtained a divorce the next year. She later left the teaching field to enter the aca-demic administration arena for the increased income it provided. But the nonstop work was beginning to take its toll and her social life was virtually nonexistent until December 1966.

Introduction.

A friend invited Harris to a dinner party in an attempt to fix...