Longtime Rhode Island Republican activist Daniel Harrop dies at 68

PROVIDENCE — Dr. Daniel Harrop, a longtime Rhode Island Republican activist who ran unsuccessful campaigns for Providence mayor and the General Assembly, died Sept. 29. He was 68.

The Rhode Island Center for Freedom & Prosperity, the conservative think tank of which Harrop was founding chairman, gave no cause of death but said his passing was unexpected.

"Dr. Harrop lived a quiet and unassuming, but enormously influential life," Mike Stenhouse, CEO of the center, said in a statement. "His civic, religious, charitable, and professional accomplishments are among the greatest our state has ever seen. He was a mentor and friend to me and I am proud to have formed our Center under his tutelage. May God rest his good and holy soul."

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In a statement, Sue Cienki, chairwoman of the Rhode Island Republican Party, described Harrop as a "beloved friend, brother and husband."

"Dan was a founder and supporter of many conservative causes," she said in a statement. "Dan was a good and faithful servant. May he RIP."

Allan Fung, the former Cranston mayor and Republican candidate for the 2nd District seat in Congress, said Harrop was a dear friend who was very close to his wife, state Rep. Barbara Ann Fenton-Fung, who represents Cranston.

“From dinners at the Boat House to political trips a many, his quick wit, his ability to find the silver lining in any situation, and that mischievous twinkle in his eye always made him one of the best to share an evening beside,” they said in a joint statement. “His generosity to the Catholic Church was endless, as was his faith in God. We both believe he got a standing ovation at the pearly gates, and we salute him with a tear in our eyes from down below.”

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A onetime finance chairman of the state Republican Party and head of the Providence GOP, Harrop ran three times for the mayor’s office in Providence, twice against David Cicilline, in 2006 and again in 2010, before he dropped out to launch a bid for General Assembly.

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His most high-profile race was his final push to become mayor, in 2014, when he faced Vincent A. “Buddy” Cianci Jr. and Jorge Elorza. Harrop made headlines for not only donating to Democrat Elorza, who went on to win the race, but also voting for him.

Harrop, who garnered only 2% of the vote, said he was trying to prevent Cianci, a prominent former mayor and twice-convicted felon who was running as an independent, from taking charge of City Hall once again.

“I was never going to be mayor,” Harrop said afterward. “It turned out the best guy won. Well, I was the best guy, but the right guy won. Well, the guy better than Cianci won."

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A West Warwick native, Harrop came to Providence as an undergraduate student at Brown University in 1972 and never left. He got three degrees from the school and lived in the city while working as either a practicing psychiatrist or administrator at hospitals in Rhode Island and Massachusetts for decades. He also held faculty positions at Brown and at Harvard University, according to the Center for Freedom & Prosperity.

Along with his bids for the mayor’s office, Harrop also ran for state representative in an East Side district, against Edith Ajello in 2002, 2004 and, after dropping his bid for mayor, in 2010. He lost all three times.

Harrop trailed badly throughout his mayoral campaign in 2014. He readily acknowledged that he had no chance of winning. But he believed it was important to represent the Republican Party.

Providence Journal columnist Mark Patinkin described him this way during the race: “I've never met an endorsed candidate for a big office having so much fun while being clobbered in the polls.”

When Patinkin asked Harrop how he wanted to be remembered, Harrop said he hoped people would follow his example and get involved in politics.

“That's the only way things get better," Harrop said.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Longtime Rhode Island Republican activist Daniel Harrop dies