James H. Morrison
Encyclopedia
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from the Sixth Congressional District of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, who served from 1943 to 1967. Morrison, considered to have been a liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
by southern standards at the time, was denied party renomination in 1966 by the strongly conservative John Richard Rarick
John Rarick
John Richard Rarick was a lawyer who served as a Louisiana state district court judge from 1961 to 1966 in St. Francisville, Louisiana, the seat of West Feliciana Parish, and as a Democratic U.S. representative from the Sixth Congressional District from 1967 to 1975...
, an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and former state district court judge in St. Francisville
St. Francisville, Louisiana
St. Francisville is a town in and the parish seat of West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:St...
, the seat of West Feliciana Parish.
Jim Morrison was born in Hammond
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
, the principal city of Tangipahoa Parish in the "Florida Parishes
Florida Parishes
The Florida Parishes , also known as the North Shore region, are eight parishes in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana, which were part of West Florida in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Unlike much of Louisiana, this region was not part of the Louisiana Purchase, as it had been...
" east of Baton Rouge, to banker-merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
Benjamin M. Morrison and the former Florence Hobson (1878–1972) of Greensboro
Greensboro, Alabama
Greensboro is a city in Hale County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 2,731. The city is the county seat of Hale County. It is part of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in Hale County
Hale County, Alabama
Hale County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Confederate officer Stephen Fowler Hale. As of 2010 the population was 15,760. Its county seat is Greensboro and it is part of the Tuscaloosa Metropolitan Statistical Area....
in the western Black Belt
Black Belt (region of Alabama)
The Black Belt is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama, and part of the larger Black Belt Region of the Southern United States, which stretches from Texas to Maryland. The term originally referred to the region underlain by a thin layer of rich, black topsoil developed atop the chalk of the Selma...
of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. A maternal uncle, Richmond Pearson Hobson was a naval hero in the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
and later served five terms in Congress from Alabama.
Morrison attended public schools and obtained the Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from Tulane University Law School
Tulane University Law School
Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States....
in New Orleans in 1934. He practiced law in Hammond with Joseph A. Sims
Joseph A. Sims
Joseph Arthur Sims, Sr. , was a Democratic operative from Hammond, Louisiana, who was associated with his state's Long political faction. As the legal advisor to Governor Earl Kemp Long, he obtained Long's discharge from the Southeast Louisiana State Hospital in Mandeville in St...
, later an aide to Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Earl Kemp Long. In 1936, Morrison ran for the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
, losing by a narrow margin. He alleged vote fraud, and although he did not take office, from then until he was elected to Congress commonly billed himself as "Senator Jim Morrison". In 1937, Morrison wrote the charter of the newly formed Louisiana Farmers Protective Union and launched a public relations campaign on behalf of union members in the strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
belt centered about Tangipahoa Parish.
In 1940, Morrison married the former Marjorie Abbey (born ca. 1917) of Webb
Webb, Mississippi
Webb is a town in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 587 at the 2000 census.-History:Webb was founded around 1880. The first post office was founded in 1880 and named Hood for one of the earlier settlers. In 1882, Judge James L.A...
in Tallahatchie County
Tallahatchie County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:*Coldwater River National Wildlife Refuge *Tallahatchie National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 14,903 people, 5,263 households, and 3,826 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile...
in northwestern Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. The couple had two sons, James Hobson Morrison, Jr. (born ca. 1943) of Hammond, and Benjamin Abbey Morrison (born ca. 1945) of New Orleans.
In his first election to Congress, Morrison defeated the conservative incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
, Jared Y. Sanders, Jr.
Jared Y. Sanders, Jr.
Jared Young Sanders, Jr. , was a prominent Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, the Louisiana State Senate, and the United States House of Representatives, perhaps best known for his conservative opposition to legendary Governor and U.S...
, in the 1942 Democratic primary. He was unopposed in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
of 1942 as well as the elections of 1944 and 1946. He secured a total of twelve terms before Rarick, then a state district judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
defeated him in the 1966 primary, 51.2 to 48.8 percent.
After the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Morrison introduced a bill to grant U.S. citizenship to New Orleans Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
boss "Silver Dollar Sam" Carolla
Sylvestro Carolla
Sylvestro or Silvestro Carolla or Carollo was a leader of the New Orleans crime family who was nicknamed "Sam 'Silver Dollar'"...
in order to prevent Carolla's deportation. Though he signed the Southern Manifesto
Southern Manifesto
The Southern Manifesto was a document written February–March 1956 by Adisen and Charles in the United States Congress opposed to racial integration in public places. The manifesto was signed by 101 politicians from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South...
and later joined all Louisiana congressional delegation members in voting against the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including racial segregation...
, Morrison was considered politically liberal during the 1960s because of his support for many federal social programs.
In 1960, Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
offered the native Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
n, Charles H. Dillemuth (February 18, 1912 - August 29, 1989) as their nominee against Morrison. Dillemuth, a Baton Rouge businessman with an impressive war record and a local humanitarian award named in his honor, drew only 14.4 percent of the vote.
In 1964, the Republican businessman Floyd O. Crawford (October 28, 1907- January 4, 1995) of Baton Rouge, formerly from Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, ran a stronger race than had Dillemuth. However, Crawford too was defeated, 48,715 (37.1 percent) to Morrison's 82,686 (62.9 percent). Crawford was aided by the presence of Barry M. Goldwater at the top of the GOP
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
ticket, and he won majorities in three parishes near Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, West Feliciana, and St. Helena -- all obtained in the year prior to adoption of the pivotal Voting Rights Act of 1965, which would thereafter turn all three of those predominantly African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
parishes into liberal Democratic strongholds. Crawford's modest but burgeoning support may have encouraged stronger opposition to Morrison to emerge in 1966. Another factor was Morrison's support of the aforementioned Voting Rights Act of 1965, followed by a so-called "backlash" of new white registrants who significantly neutralized the effect of increased voting registration by blacks.
On three occasions, Morrison ran unsuccessfully for governor—1940 (polling 48,243 votes or 8.7 percent and losing to the eventual winner, Sam Houston Jones), 1944 (with 76,081 votes or 15.9 pecent and failing to enter the runoff with James Houston "Jimmie" Davis
Jimmie Davis
James Houston Davis , better known as Jimmie Davis, was a noted singer of both sacred and popular songs who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 47th Governor of Louisiana...
), and 1948 (101,754 votes or 15.8 percent and failing to enter the runoff with Earl Long). In 1944, his other opponents were Lewis L. Morgan
Lewis L. Morgan
Lewis Lovering Morgan was an American lawyer and politician form the state of Louisiana.He served in the United States House of Representatives from November 5, 1912, to March 4, 1917, from Louisiana's 6th congressional district, which then included part of the New Orleans area...
, the ticket mate of Earl Long, who unsuccessfully sought the lieutenant governorship that year; Sam Caldwell
Sam Caldwell
Samuel Shepherd Caldwell, known as Sam Caldwell , was an oilman who served as the Democratic mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, from 1934-1946....
, the mayor of Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
; and colorful State Senator Dudley J. LeBlanc
Dudley J. LeBlanc
Dudley Joseph "Coozan Dud" LeBlanc was a colorful and popular Democratic and Cajun member of the Louisiana State Senate whose entrepreneurial talents netted him a fortune through the alcohol-laden patent medicine known as "Hadacol." He is also considered the "father of the old age pension" in...
of Abbeville
Abbeville, Louisiana
Abbeville is a town in and the parish seat of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States, 150 miles west of New Orleans. The population was 12,257 at the 2010 census...
in Vermillion Parish. In 1948, Morrison campaigned for governor with the promise of a soldiers' "bonus". His ticket mates included Lucille May Grace
Lucille May Grace
Lucille May Grace, a.k.a. Mrs. Fred Columbus Dent, Sr., , was the first woman to attain statewide elected office in Louisiana. A Democrat, "Miss Grace," as she preferred to be called, became Register of the State Land Office in 1931 on appointment of Governor Huey Pierce Long, Jr...
for register of state lands and J.Y. Fontenot for lieutenant governor,but victory that year went to the slate supporting the return to office of former Governor Earl Long. In the gubernatorial races, Morrison could run for governor without sacrificing his U.S. House seat because Louisiana holds gubernatorial elections a year between congressional races.
Morrison was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1956 and 1960 and supported the Adlai Stevenson and John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
tickets, respectively. Morrison was not related to the late New Orleans Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
deLesseps Story Morrison, Sr., though the two often agreed politically. After his defeat for Congress, Morrison resumed his law practice in Hammond. Rarick served in the seat from 1967 to 1975, a third of the tenure that Morrison accumulated.
Morrison died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
after a series of strokes. His last residence was in Loranger in northern Tangipahoa Parish. He is interred in the Episcopal Church Cemetery in Hammond. U.S. 51
U.S. Route 51
U.S. Route 51 is a north–south United States highway that runs for 1,286 miles from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana to within of the Wisconsin-Michigan border. Much of the highway in Illinois and southern Wisconsin runs parallel to or overlaps Interstate 39...
, a main north-south thoroughfare through Hammond, was renamed Morrison Boulevard in honor of the Congressman.
Morrison donated his congressional papers to the Archives and Special Collections Department of Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University is a state-funded public university in Hammond, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims, the principal of Hammond High School, as Hammond Junior College, located in a wing of the high school building. Sims succeeded in getting the campus...
in Hammond. His photographic collection of national leaders, family, and campaign events are displayed in the Linus A. Sims
Linus A. Sims
Linus Arthur Sims was an educator and administrator who was the driving force behind the establishment of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. In 1925, Sims created Hammond Junior College, which became the former Southeastern Louisiana College in 1928...
Memorial Library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
in what is called the "Morrison Room". Linus Sims, the founder of Southeastern University, was the father of Morrison's former law partner, Joseph Sims. Morrison patronized the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies at Southeastern University. In 1995, Dr. John Miller, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, inaugurated the annual James H. Morrison Lecture on Politics and Government at Southeastern. Political figures from both national parties have delivered Morrison lectures, including former Democratic U.S. Senator John B. Breaux
John Breaux
John Berlinger Breaux is a former United States senator from Louisiana who served from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987. He was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party...
and Jack A. "Jay" Blossman, Jr.
Jay Blossman
Jack Arthur Blossman, Jr., known as Jay Blossman , is a Mandeville, Louisiana, attorney who is a former Republican member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission. Blossman was named PSC chairman by his colleagues early in 2007....
, the Republican chairman of the Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission
Louisiana Public Service Commission is an independent regulatory agency which manages public utilities and motor carriers in Louisiana. The commission has five elected members chosen in single-member districts for staggered six-year terms...
.