Kenneth Morris (politician)

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = Sir

| name = Kenneth Morris

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|sep=,|KBE|CMG}}

| image = Queensland State Archives 6448 Mr Morris receiving Address of Loyalty migrant children at Parliament House June 1959.png

| caption = Morris (left) in 1959

| title = Senator for Queensland

| term_start = 30 November 1963

| term_end = 30 June 1968

| predecessor = George Whiteside

| order1 = 17th

| office1 = Deputy Premier of Queensland

| term_start1 = 3 August 1957

| term_end1 = 26 September 1962

| premier1 = Frank Nicklin

| predecessor1 = Ted Walsh

| successor1 = Alan Munro

| office2 = Minister for Labour and Industry

| term_start2 = 12 August 1957

| term_end2 = 28 December 1962

| premier2 = Frank Nicklin

| predecessor2 = Arthur Jones

| successor2 = Alex Dewar

| office3 = Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Queensland

| term_start3 = 12 August 1954

| term_end3 = 3 August 1957

| leader3 = Frank Nicklin

| predecessor3 = Thomas Hiley

| successor3 = Eric Lloyd

| office4 = Leader of the Queensland Liberal Party
Elections: 1956, 1957, 1960

| term_start4 = 12 August 1954

| term_end4 = 26 September 1962

| deputy4 = Alan Munro

| predecessor4 = Thomas Hiley

| successor4 = Alan Munro

| office5 = Deputy Leader of the
Queensland Liberal Party

| term_start5 = 31 May 1950

| term_end5 = 12 August 1954

| leader5 = Thomas Hiley

| predecessor5 = Charles Wanstall

| successor5 = Alan Munro

| constituency_AM6 = Mount Coot-tha
Enoggera (1944–1950)

| assembly6 = Queensland Legislative

| term_start6 = 15 April 1944

| term_end6 = 1 June 1963

| predecessor6 = George Taylor

| successor6 = Bill Lickiss

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1903|10|12}}

| birth_place = Brisbane, Queensland

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1978|6|1|1903|10|22}}

| death_place = Chermside, Brisbane, Queensland

| restingplace =

| nationality = Australian

| spouse = Ettie Louise Dunlop

| party = Liberal Party

| otherparty = Queensland People's Party (1944–1949)

| relations =

| children = Barbara Morris, David Morris, Grant Morris, Bruce Morris

| residence =

| alma_mater = Brisbane Grammar School

| occupation = Shoe/Boot Manufacturer, Grazier

| profession =

| nickname =

| allegiance =

| branch = Australian Army

| serviceyears = 1939–1944

| rank = Major

| unit =

| commands =

| battles =

| mawards =

}}

Sir Kenneth James Morris, {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|sep=,|KBE|CMG}} (22 October 1903 – 1 June 1978) was an Australian politician who served as Deputy Premier of Queensland from 1957 to 1962.

Early life

Born in Brisbane,{{cite web|title=Former Members|publisher=Parliament of Queensland|year=2015| url=http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=90464382|accessdate= 10 February 2015}} 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.{{Australian Dictionary of Biography|last=Stevenson|first=Brian F|year=2000|volume=15|id2=morris-sir-kenneth-james-11173|title=Morris, Sir Kenneth James (1903–1978)|access-date=2023-01-09}}

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 in 1944 as the member for Enoggera, transferring to Mount Coot-tha in 1950. Morris was state Leader of the Liberal Party 1954–1962, Deputy Premier 1957–1962, and Minister for Labour and Industry 1957–1962.

In Queensland, unlike in the rest of Australia, Morris's Liberals were the junior partner in the non-Labor Coalition. Thus, when the Coalition won government for the first time in 25 years and only the second time in 42 years, Morris became deputy premier under Country Party leader and Premier Frank Nicklin. Morris was known as a hard-nosed, aggressive man, in sharp contrast to the easygoing Nicklin. He was known to push Nicklin to consider his submissions first even though longstanding practice called for cabinet submissions to be considered in order of receipt. Despite this, Morris had a strong working relationship with Nicklin.Brian F. Stevenson, 'Morris, Sir Kenneth James (1903–1978)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/morris-sir-kenneth-james-11173/text19907 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180620232612/http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/morris-sir-kenneth-james-11173/text19907 |date=20 June 2018 }}, published first in hardcopy 2000, accessed online 20 June 2018.

He stepped down as leader in August 1962 and as Deputy Premier in September for health reasons, and moved to Cooktown where he cultivated legume seed.{{cite web|url=https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p69721/pdf/book.pdf|title=The Ayes Have It: The history of the Queensland Parliament, 1957–1989|pages=87, 88|date=2010|accessdate=27 November 2019}} In December 1963, he won a special election for a Senate seat in Queensland, filling the vacancy caused by the death of Labor Senator Max Poulter and to which George Whiteside had been appointed. Morris defeated Whiteside 50.6% to 49.4%.{{cite web |last=Carr |first=Adam |year=2008 |title=1963 Senate: Queensland special election |url=http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1963/1963senateqld.txt |accessdate=2023-01-09 |work=Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive}} He retired in 1967.{{Cite Au Senate|Sen id=morris-kenneth-james|name=MORRIS, Sir Kenneth James (1903–1978)|first=Derek|last=Drinkwater|year=2010|access-date=2023-01-08}}

Personal life

Morris died in 1978 at Chermside, Brisbane.

References

Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia

Category:Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland

Category:Members of the Australian Senate

Category:1903 births

Category:1978 deaths

Category:Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Category:Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George

Category:Deputy premiers of Queensland

Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Queensland

Category:20th-century Australian politicians

Category:People educated at Brisbane Grammar School