Harry was born in Bangor, Maine on January 26, 1930.
He received his undergraduate degree in 1952 from the University of Maine where he was an All-New England tackle. In 1953, he received a commission in the Marine Corps, serving fourteen months in Korea as an infantry platoon leader and a company commander. Harry went on to earn his law degree from Hastings College of Law at the University of California in 1959. In 1965, he was elected to the Maine House of Representatives and served as Majority Floor Leader from 1967 to 1970.

Harry also served in the Maine Senate from 1973 to 1975. He has completed two terms - the second as Chairman - on the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System and now serves on the Board of Trustees of Maine Maritime Academy and the American University in Bulgaria.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He defends product liability claims, lawyers' professional liability suits, insurance agent errors and omissions claims, and high-exposure personal injury cases.