William S. Morris (November 8, 1919 – March 4, 1975) was an American politician who served as the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri. He was a member of 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 ...

Biography

Morris was born in

Higginsville, Missouri Higginsville is a city in Lafayette County, Missouri, Lafayette County, Missouri, within the United States. The population was 4,797 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Higginsville was founded in 1869 and named after Harvey Hi ...

, to mother Elizabeth Jung and father Cyrus Morris, with brothers Conrad "Jack" and Donald and sisters Mildred and Eunice. Morris went on to serve in the U.S. Army during

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 ...

. He was awarded the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

and the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

. He was discharged at the rank of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. Following his discharge from the Army, he returned to Missouri and began working in the mail room of the former Union National Bank in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

and attended the University of Kansas City (now UMKC) School of Law at night, earning a law degree. He rose to the position of Vice-President in charge of the Trust Division at the bank before leaving to become the manager of the Phillips family properties located throughout the United States, one of which was the Phillips Hotel in downtown Kansas City. He was a partner in the Kansas City law firm of Morris & Foust. He was an owner of the

Kansas City Area Transportation Authority The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) is a public transit agency in metropolitan Kansas City. It operates the Metro Area Express (MAX) bus rapid transit service in Kansas City, Missouri, and 78 local bus routes in seven coun ...

prior to its sale to the City of Kansas City. Morris founded the Kansas City Blues Hockey Club in 1967 as the top minor-league affiliate of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues and worked tirelessly to bring NHL hockey to Kansas City. Morris headed up one of four local groups who placed bids for a Kansas City franchise in 1972 while also pursuing the Democratic nomination for Missouri governor. Morris ultimately was not awarded the NHL team and lost the primary race to Edward Dowd of St. Louis. Dowd was defeated by Republican Christopher Bond in the November general election. (''Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts'', pp. 22-23) He was appointed Public Administrator of

Jackson County, Missouri Jackson County is located in the western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 717,204. making it the second-most populous county in the state (after St. Louis County). Although Independence retains ...

by former Missouri Governor

John M. Dalton John Montgomery Dalton (November 9, 1900 – July 7, 1972) was an American attorney and Democratic politician from the state of Missouri. He was the 45th Governor of Missouri and the state's 34th Attorney General. Personal history Dalton wa ...

. Morris served as the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from January 1969 to January 1973 under Governor Warren Hearnes. Morris was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

and a member of the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an organization of US war veterans, who, as military service members fought in wars, campaigns, and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or a ...

, the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and the

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

. Morris suffered a heart attack in November 1974. On January 27, 1975, Morris underwent open heart surgery at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City but never recovered. (p. 138) Morris was married to the former Lucile Albers, also of Higginsville, Missouri and had one daughter, Lisa.

References

''Icing on the Plains: The Rough Ride of Kansas City's NHL Scouts'', Troy Treasure, 2018, Balboa Press {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, William S. United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II 1919 births 1975 deaths Lieutenant governors of Missouri 20th-century American politicians Missouri Democrats People from Higginsville, Missouri United States Army Air Forces officers