James Morrison (25 June 1846 – 24 December 1927) was an Australian businessman and politician in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. He owned land in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

and the Wheatbelt, and served as a director of various companies. Morrison was a nominated member of Legislative Council from 1887 to 1894, and subsequently made two unsuccessful runs for parliament.

Early life and business career

Morrison was born in Islington,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, to Christina (née McLaren) and Joseph Robert Morrison. His father came from a mercantile family which had business connections in Australia and New Zealand. Morrison moved to New Zealand in 1863, and then to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, where he managed a family business for a few years before going on to Western Australia in 1868. In Perth, Morrison set up as a stock and station agent. He served as a director of various insurance and finance companies, and acquired land in Guildford and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

. He also had a property on the Perth–Fremantle Road which he named the Claremont Estate (after his wife, Clara). The name was later extended to the surrounding suburb.James Morrison
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 30 December 2016.

Politics

In 1887, Morrison was nominated to the Legislative Council by the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, Sir

Frederick Broome Sir Frederick Napier Broome (18 November 1842 – 26 November 1896) was a colonial administrator in the British Empire, serving in Natal, Mauritius, Western Australia, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. The Western Australian towns of Broom ...

. The council was dissolved in October 1890 and reconstituted in December 1890 as the

upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

of the new bicameral

Parliament of Western Australia The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Western Australia, forming the legislative branch of the Government of Western Australia. The parliament consists of a lower house, the Legislative ...

. Morrison was renominated, and served until it was again dissolved in June 1894, becoming a fully elective body. He contested the 1894 elections, standing in East Province, but only finished fifth out of six candidates. Morrison ran for the Legislative Assembly at the 1897 election, but was defeated by

William Loton Sir William Thorley Loton (11 June 1838 – 22 October 1924), was an Australian politician. Early life Born at Dilhorne in Staffordshire, England on 11 June 1838,Pat Simpson, 'Loton, Sir William Thorley (1838–1924)', Australian Dictionary of ...

in the seat of Swan.

Later life

Morrison concentrated on his commercial interests after leaving the Legislative Council. He retired only in 1925, due to declining health, and died in Perth in December 1927, aged 81. He was buried at

Karrakatta Cemetery Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton. Managed by the Metropolitan Ce ...

, with his funeral being attended by a number of local identities."THE LATE MR. J. MORRISON"
''The West Australian'', 28 December 1927. Morrison had married Clara Charlotte de Burgh in 1870, with whom he had six children. He was widowed in 1920. Two of his brothers-in-law were also members of parliament, Henry Brockman and Charles Harper.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, James 1846 births 1927 deaths Australian real estate businesspeople English emigrants to Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Islington (district) Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery

Early life and business career

Politics

Later life

See also

References