William John Morrell MA (1868–1945) was a Chancellor of

Otago University , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Early life

Morrell was born in

Tiverton, Devon Tiverton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Devon, England, and the commercial and administrative centre of the Mid Devon district. The population in 2019 was 20,587. History Early history The town's name is conjectured to derive from "Twy-fo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, in 1868, and educated at

Blundell's School Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school in the English public school tradition, located in Tiverton, Devon. It was founded in 1604 under the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the t ...

and Balliol College, Oxford, where he held an open classical scholarship. In 1887, he gained a first class in Classical Moderations.

Teaching

He held various teaching positions in England including the Chief Classical Master at

Trent College Trent College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school located in Long Eaton, Derbyshire between Nottingham and Derby. Founded in 1868 as a local ’middle class alternative’ to the more famous public schools, it is now a coedu ...

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

, before migrating to New Zealand in 1897, to take up the position of Chief Classical and English Master at the

Auckland Grammar School Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, where he rose to the position of First Assistant Master. In 1907 he was appointed Rector of

Otago Boys' High School , motto_translation = "The ‘right’ learning builds a heart of oak" , type = State secondary, day and boarding , established = ; years ago , streetaddress= 2 Arthur Street , region = Dunedin , state = Otago , zipcod ...

, Dunedin, and thus began a long association with the Morrell family and the city of

. A teaching block there is named after him. In 1908 Dunedin public library was opened. Morrell was associated with its development for more than twenty years and served on the first Library Committee of the Dunedin City Council. He was also active in the establishment of the

Hocken Collections Hocken Collections (, formerly the Hocken Library) is a research library, historical archive, and art gallery based in Dunedin, New Zealand. Its library collection, which is of national significance, is administered by the University of Otago. T ...

, at

. Morrell was appointed Chancellor of

, in 1933, a position he held for 12 years.

Family

In 1897, he married Agnes Mary Tucker. Professor William Parker Morrell was the eldest of their four children, and their only son. Their daughters Ethel and Katherine were local teachers and active with many local societies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrell, William John People educated at Blundell's School Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford 1868 births 1945 deaths Heads of schools in New Zealand Chancellors of the University of Otago British emigrants to New Zealand