"I was in college when public service was the most noble thing you could do," says Harshbarger.

After graduating from Harvard in 1964, Harshbarger took a fellowship at the Union Theological Seminary in East Harlem in New York City, where he spent a year working with church and community organizations.

After leaving New York, Harshbarger spent three years at Harvard Law School and graduated in 1968.

Instead of returning to Pennsylvania after school, Harshbarger chose to settle in the Boston area and now lives in Westboro, Mass. He has since married and has three children, including Anne M. Stephenson '98, who lives in Eliot House.

The State's First Lawyer

Although they say that he has a strong moral foundation, Harshbarger's colleagues are quick to add that he is a savvy politician.

Calling Harshbarger's leadership style "cautious," former State Rep. and Democratic candidate for governor Mark Roosevelt '78 says that the attorney general's ideals are not always carved in stone.

"On issues, he's not a driven ideologue," Roosevelt says.

Nonetheless, the attorney general has emerged as a state and national leader on several issues.

Harshbarger is gaining national publicity for his on-going legal battle with tobacco firms.

Massachusetts recently filed suit against major tobacco corporations in an effort to reclaim more than $1 billion that the state has spent on health care for ill smokers.

As president of the National Association of Attornies General, Harshbarger is trying to coordinate the efforts of several states that are filing similar suits.

Harshbarger is also becoming known for his opposition to gambling.

Since passage of the 1988 Federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, tribes have had the right to operate casinos on their land.

Many of the Bay State's smaller communities, traditionally burdened by weaker local economies, view gaming as a panacea.