Sir Kenneth James Morris, (22 October 1903 – 1 June 1978) was an Australian politician who served as

Deputy Premier A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

from 1957 to 1962.

Early life

Born in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, he was educated at Brisbane Grammar School before becoming the director of his family's boot manufacturing firm. In 1931, he married Ettie Louise Dunlop. Morris served in the military 1939–1944, in Britain (1940), Tobruk (1941) and Egypt (1942); rising to the rank of Major.

Political career

A founding member of the Liberal Party in Queensland, he was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembl ...

in 1944 as the member for Enoggera, transferring to

Mount Coot-tha Mount Coot-tha is a mountain and a suburb of the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , there were no residents in the suburb. Visible from much of the city, Mount Coot-tha is a popular bushland tourist destination including the Mou ...

in 1950. Morris was state Leader of the Liberal Party 1954–1962, Deputy Premier 1957–1962, and Minister for Labour and Industry 1957–1962. He stepped down as leader in August 1962 and as Deputy Premier in September due to health reasons, and moved to Cooktown where he cultivated legume seed. In December 1963, he won a special election for a Senate seat in Queensland, filling the vacancy caused by the death of

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

Senator Max Poulter and to which George Whiteside had been appointed. Morris defeated Whiteside 50.6% to 49.4%. He retired in 1967.

Personal life

Morris died in 1978 at Chermside, Brisbane.

References

Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland Members of the Australian Senate 1903 births 1978 deaths Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian politicians awarded knighthoods Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Deputy Premiers of Queensland Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland 20th-century Australian politicians {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub