Frank Brenner Morrison Jr. (September 27, 1937 – January 8, 2006) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a justice of the

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews ...

Early life and education

Morrison was born in McCook, Nebraska. His father, Frank B. Morrison, served as

Governor of Nebraska The governor of Nebraska is the head of government of the U.S. state of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Constitution of Nebraska. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term, with elections held two years after presidential e ...

from 1961 to 1967. He received a bachelor's degree from

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Univers ...

and a law degree from University of Denver School of Law.

Career

Morrison practiced law in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

and became involved with the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. In 1968, Morrison and his family moved to

Whitefish, Montana Whitefish ( Salish: epɫx̣ʷy̓u, "has whitefish") is a town in Flathead County, Montana, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, there were 7,751 people in the town. History Long before the first Europeans came to Whitefish ...

, where he practiced law. He ran for the nomination of

Governor of Montana The governor of Montana is the head of government of MontanaMontana Constitution, Article VI, Section 4. and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either approve or veto ...

in 1988 and 1992. In 1981, Morrison was appointed to one of two newly-created seats on the

, where he served until 1987. In 1988, he resumed his law practice and taught at the

University of Montana School of Law The Alexander Blewett III School of Law is a law school at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana, Missoula. It was established in 1911 and remains Montana's only law school. , the school accepted 83 applicants. The school tied for 10 ...

Death

Morrison died in Renton, Washington as a result of complications from emergency surgery. Morrison's son, John Morrison, served as the

Montana State Auditor The Montana State Auditor is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Montana. The State Auditor is elected once every four years, concurrent with the state's gubernatorial election and the U.S. presid ...

from 2001 to 2009 and was an unsuccessful candidate for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Notes

1937 births 2006 deaths People from Whitefish, Montana People from McCook, Nebraska University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Sturm College of Law alumni University of Montana faculty Montana lawyers Nebraska lawyers Montana Democrats Justices of the Montana Supreme Court 20th-century American judges Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska 20th-century American lawyers {{Nebraska-politician-stub