Ira Nelson Morris (March 8, 1875 – January 15, 1942) was an American author and diplomat appointed the United States Minister to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, serving from 1914 to 1923. In 1913 he was appointed the Commissioner General to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, on behalf of the

Panama–Pacific International Exposition The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely se ...

Early years

Ira Morris was born March 8, 1875, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois, to Sarah (née Vogel) and

Nelson Morris Nelson Morris (January 21, 1838 – August 27, 1907) was the founder of Morris & Company, one of the three main meat-packing companies in Chicago along with Armour & Company and Swift & Company. Biography Morris was born Moritz Beisinger on Ja ...

. His father was a

meat-packing The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally ...

executive and founder of Morris & Company. His brother was Edward Morris. He attended

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

, in

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

, graduating in 1892. He then attended

Sheffield Scientific School Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Joseph E. Sheffield, ...

, part of Yale University, graduating in 1895.

Career

After graduation, Morris worked for his father in the meat-packing industry. He became involved in social problems and philanthropy, and was a member of the Chicago Peace Society and a foreign delegate to the American Peace Conference. After leaving his father's company he served as the president of Union Rending Company; treasurer of Consumer's Cotton Oil Company; secretary of Fairbank Canning Company; and director of National Packing Company, the National Stockyards of St. Louis, and A.M. Rothschild and Company. In 1913, he was appointed the Commissioner General to

, where he helped the Italian government gain representation at the

. On July 13, 1914, he was appointed the United States Minister to

, a position he held until April 3, 1923.

Personal life

In 1898, he married Constance Lily Rothschild, daughter of

Victor Henry Rothschild Victor Henry Rothschild or V. Henry Rothschild (April 6, 1835 – May 16, 1911) was an American businessman. Biography Victor Henry Rothschild was one of seven children born to a German Jews, Jewish family on April 6, 1835 in Nordstetten, Baden-W ...

, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

; they had two children, Constance Irene Morris and author Ira Victor Morris. In 1921, while sailing to New York, on the

Scandinavian-American Nordic and Scandinavian Americans are Americans of Scandinavian and/or Nordic ancestry, including Danish Americans (estimate: 1,453,897), Faroese Americans, Finnish Americans (estimate: 653,222), Greenlandic Americans, Icelandic Americans (esti ...

liner ''United States'', Morris saved the life of 19-year-old Ellen Neilson, of Brooklyn, in mid-ocean, when she was nearly washed overboard. Morris died in Chicago on January 15, 1942. His will included $150,000 for the construction of a mausoleum at

Rosehill Cemetery Rosehill Cemetery (founded 1859) is an American garden cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and at , is the largest cemetery in the City of Chicago. According to legend, the name "Rosehill" resulted from a City Clerk's error – the ar ...

, where he was interred.

Namesake

The

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Liberty Ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

was named in his honor.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Ira Nelson 1875 births 1942 deaths Writers from Chicago American people of German-Jewish descent Jewish American writers Phillips Academy alumni Yale University alumni Ambassadors of the United States to Sweden Morris family (meatpacking) Burials at Rosehill Cemetery