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Joseph Morris (Alberta politician)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Henry Morris was a politician and municipal councillor in Edmonton, Alberta.
on July 12, 1868. He attended public schools in Ontario, and moved to Medicine Hat, Alberta
upon graduating. He relocated to Lethbridge
shortly thereafter. In Lethbridge, he was manager for general merchant J. H. Cavanagh until 1895 and also served on the Lethbridge City Council as an alderman and as president of the Lethbridge Board of Trade. He married Margaret Drummond Jardine in June 1895; the pair would have four children.
He came to Edmonton in 1897 to open J. H. Morris & Company. The following year he also established a wholesale grocery. He ran for Edmonton Town Council in the 1900 municipal election
, and finished second of eight candidates, making him one of three people elected to two year terms as aldermen. He completed his term, but did not seek re-election at its expiration.
Morris served as president of the Edmonton Board of Trade (now the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce) and the Edmonton Exhibition Association. He was also active in the Anglican Church, the Masonic Order
, and the Independent Order of Foresters.
Joseph Morris was the owner of Edmonton's first automobile, a 1903 Ford Model A
that he brought to town on May 25, 1904. Accordingly, he was granted license place number one. According to legend, until 1905 motorists in what would become Alberta
were responsible for making their own license plates, and Morris elected to use a broomstick. He was brought into court for having an unsatisfactory license plate, but was able to convince the judge that displaying the broomstick vertically at the back of the car satisfied the requirement that his license number be displayed. Whether the legend is true or not, in 1905 Morris was issued with a leather license plate with the number one.
Joseph Morris died in 1939.
Biography
Morris was born in Blenheim, OntarioBlenheim, Ontario
Blenheim is a community located in south-central Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada, with a population of 4,800.- History :By 1783, there were French settlers in Detroit and Windsor. There were also settlers in the Niagara and Kingston region, but no real settlers to speak of in the Kent County region...
on July 12, 1868. He attended public schools in Ontario, and moved to Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Medicine Hat, known to locals as "The Hat", is a city of 61,097 people located in the southeastern part of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is enclaved within Cypress County along with the nearby Town of Redcliff, although neither is part of the county....
upon graduating. He relocated to Lethbridge
Lethbridge
Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...
shortly thereafter. In Lethbridge, he was manager for general merchant J. H. Cavanagh until 1895 and also served on the Lethbridge City Council as an alderman and as president of the Lethbridge Board of Trade. He married Margaret Drummond Jardine in June 1895; the pair would have four children.
He came to Edmonton in 1897 to open J. H. Morris & Company. The following year he also established a wholesale grocery. He ran for Edmonton Town Council in the 1900 municipal election
Edmonton municipal election, 1900
The 1900 municipal election was held December 10, 1900 for the purpose of electing a mayor and three aldermen to sit on the Edmonton Town Council, as well as five public school trustees and four separate school trustees....
, and finished second of eight candidates, making him one of three people elected to two year terms as aldermen. He completed his term, but did not seek re-election at its expiration.
Morris served as president of the Edmonton Board of Trade (now the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce) and the Edmonton Exhibition Association. He was also active in the Anglican Church, the Masonic Order
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, and the Independent Order of Foresters.
Joseph Morris was the owner of Edmonton's first automobile, a 1903 Ford Model A
Ford Model A (1903)
The original Ford Model A is the first car produced by Ford Motor Company, beginning production in 1903. Ernst Pfenning of Chicago, Illinois became the first owner of a Model A on July 23, 1903. 1,750 cars were made from 1903 through 1904...
that he brought to town on May 25, 1904. Accordingly, he was granted license place number one. According to legend, until 1905 motorists in what would become Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
were responsible for making their own license plates, and Morris elected to use a broomstick. He was brought into court for having an unsatisfactory license plate, but was able to convince the judge that displaying the broomstick vertically at the back of the car satisfied the requirement that his license number be displayed. Whether the legend is true or not, in 1905 Morris was issued with a leather license plate with the number one.
Joseph Morris died in 1939.