William S. Morris

William S. Morris (November 8, 1919 – March 4, 1975) was an American politician who served as the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri. He was a member of the Democratic Party.[1]

William S. Morris
Morris in 1969
39th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri
In office
January 1969 – January 1973
GovernorWarren E. Hearnes
Preceded byThomas Eagleton
Succeeded byBill Phelps
Personal details
Born(1919-11-08)November 8, 1919
Higginsville, Missouri
DiedMarch 4, 1975(1975-03-04) (aged 55)
Political partyDemocratic
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Rankno border Major
Battles/warsWorld War II
Awardsno border Bronze Star Medal
no border Silver Star Medal
no border Air Medal

Biography

Morris was born in Higginsville, Missouri, to mother Elizabeth Jung and father Cyrus Morris, with brothers Conrad "Jack" and Donald and sisters Mildred and Eunice. Morris went on to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was awarded the Bronze Star, the Silver Star and the Air Medal. He was discharged at the rank of Major. Following his discharge from the Army, he returned to Missouri and began working in the mail room of the former Union National Bank in Kansas City, Missouri and attended the University of Kansas City (now UMKC) School of Law at night, earning a law degree. He rose to the position of Vice-President in charge of the Trust Division at the bank before leaving to become the manager of the Phillips family properties located throughout the United States, one of which was the Phillips Hotel in downtown Kansas City. He was a partner in the Kansas City law firm of Morris & Foust. He was an owner of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority prior to its sale to the City of Kansas City.

Morris founded the Kansas City Blues Hockey Club in 1967 as the top minor-league affiliate of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues and worked tirelessly to bring NHL hockey to Kansas City. Morris headed up one of four local groups who placed bids for a Kansas City franchise in 1972 while also pursuing the Democratic nomination for Missouri governor. Morris ultimately was not awarded the NHL team and lost the primary race to Edward Dowd of St. Louis. Dowd was defeated by Republican Christopher Bond in the November general election. (Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts, pp. 22-23)

He was appointed Public Administrator of Jackson County, Missouri by former Missouri Governor John M. Dalton. Morris served as the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from January 1969 to January 1973 under Governor Warren Hearnes.

Morris was a Methodist and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Freemasons, and the Shriners.

Morris suffered a heart attack in November 1974. On January 27, 1975, Morris underwent open heart surgery at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City but never recovered. (p. 138)

Morris was married to the former Lucile Albers, also of Higginsville, Missouri and had one daughter, Lisa.

References

Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts, Troy Treasure, 2018, Balboa Press

  1. "History of the Office of Lieutenant Governor". Missouri Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
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