Margaret Keenan Harrais (1872–1964) was an American educator, suffragist, temperance reformer, and government official.

[1] During the period of 1916 to 1919, Harrais, known at the time as "Margaret Kennan, spinster", served as school superintendent in Fairbanks.

Harrais set up an employment office at school and assisted the children in finding spare time jobs.

The newspaper sparked to success a benefit which raised nearly US$4,000 in less than one month to sponsor six beds in the American Ambulance Hospital near Paris.

[4] It was during her Fairbanks stay that Margaret met Martin Luther Harrais (1865–1936), a University of Washington graduate and an early day prospector of the neighboring mining camp city of Chena.

Mr. Harrais, who had made and lost several large fortunes in gold, was keenly interested in statehood and was a candidate in the election of 1912 which reelected Judge James Wickersham as Delegate to Congress.

Her report, written at McCarthy, appeared with such notables of the times as Lucy Whitehead McGill Waterbury Peabody, Evangeline Booth, and Carrie Chapman Catt.

Undaunted the intrepid pair began anew, first near Cordova, then in Valdez where, in 1934, Mr. Harrais accepted an appointment as U.S.

[4] Upon his death in 1936, Mrs. Harrais succeeded him as U.S. Commissioner in Valdez, maintaining an office in the Federal building until it was leveled by fire a few years later.

Thereafter, the records of the Valdez district were kept in the front room of her home, a shingle with the inscription, "U.S. commissioner" hanging over her doorway.

[4] Harrais found time to serve as Democratic territorial committeewoman as well as holding membership in the Woman's Club.

1895–1965), including correspondence, legal documents, manuscripts, clippings, newspaper articles, and photographs are held by the University of Alaska Fairbanks.