Frank Brenner Morrison (May 20, 1905 – April 19, 2004) was an American politician and attorney who served as the 31st governor of Nebraska from 1961 to 1967, representing 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 ...

Early life and education

Morrison was born in

Golden, Colorado Golden is a home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States Census. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountai ...

, and attended

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city and county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 c ...

. He graduated from Kansas State University in 1927. Accepting an invitation from an aunt, he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska and attended the

University of Nebraska College of Law The University of Nebraska College of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of University of Nebraska system. It was founded in 1888 and became part of University of Nebraska in 1891. According to Nebraska's official 2017 ABA-required d ...

and earned a law degree in 1931.

Career

Morrison began his career as a teacher, and was superintendent of schools in

Farwell, Nebraska Farwell is a village in Howard County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 122 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Grand Island, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Farwell was originally called Posen, and under the latt ...

before establishing his legal practice in Stockville, Nebraska. He was elected Frontier County attorney in 1934. Morrison was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1940, and chair of the Frontier County Democratic Party the same year. He ran for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

twice in 1948 and 1954 and

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 ...

in 1958, 1966 and 1970 but lost all five elections. He was defeated by Roman L. Hruska in 1958 and 1970 and Carl T. Curtis in 1966. Morrison secured the Democratic nomination for Governor of Nebraska and won the general election in 1960. He won reelection in 1962 and also in 1964. During his governorship, he worked to improve the University, particularly the scientific research and the agricultural departments, a state employees' retirement plan was initiated, a state income tax was sanctioned, and the state's accounting system was restructured. He signed legislation for Educational Television which led to the establishment of the statewide public television network, an act he said was his most important. After leaving office, Morrison was appointed in 1968 as food consultant for the

U.S. Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 ...

in India. From 1971 to 1974 he was the Douglas County public defender. Morrison was the driving force behind the construction of the

Great Platte River Road Archway Monument The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument (also known as The Archway or Kearney Archway) is a monument on Interstate 80 located three miles (5 km) east of Kearney, Nebraska, United States. Opened in July 2000, it houses a historical experien ...

in Kearney, Nebraska. A bust of his face can be seen at the entrance to the monument. The

gained fame by being featured in the movie ''

About Schmidt ''About Schmidt'' is a 2002 American comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Alexander Payne and starring Jack Nicholson in the title role. The film also stars Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, and Kathy Bates. It is loosely based on the 1996 nov ...

'' with

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

. On July 16, 2000, he dedicated the 50,000 square-foot building that arches over Interstate 80. Morrison wrote an autobiography, ''My Journey Through the Twentieth Century'' in 2001. He was a confidant of both

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

and

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

, and was summoned to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

immediately after JFK was assassinated.

Personal life

He married Maxine Elizabeth Hepp in 1936 and they had three children, Frank Jr, David Jon, and Jean Marie. Morrison died in 2004 of cancer in the McCook Community Hospital, McCook, Nebraska, one month short of his 99th birthday. He was cremated. His son, Frank B. Morrison Jr. (1937–2006) was 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 ...

. His grandson, John Morrison, is a former State Auditor of Montana and was a 2006 Senate candidate.

References

External links

Deathwatch Central
} {{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Frank B. 1905 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American politicians Democratic Party governors of Nebraska Nebraska lawyers School superintendents in Nebraska People from Golden, Colorado People from Frontier County, Nebraska People from Howard County, Nebraska Kansas State University alumni University of Nebraska College of Law alumni Politicians from Manhattan, Kansas Writers from Colorado Writers from Nebraska Writers from Manhattan, Kansas Educators from Nebraska 20th-century American lawyers Public defenders

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links