Tom Morris Jr.
{{short description|American television host}}
{{about|the television personality|the 19th-century golfer|Young Tom Morris}}
Tom Morris Jr. is an American television host and producer. He was a producer on America's Most Wanted (AMW) for three years, then became an on-air correspondent on the show through 2011. In 2016, he was hired as one of the original co-hosts of Live PD, which became the most successful show in A&E's history.{{cite web |last1=Flint |first1=Joe |title=A&E Has Lost Half Its Viewers Since Dropping 'Live PD' |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-e-has-lost-half-its-viewers-since-dropping-live-pd-11595588402 |website=Wall Street Journal |accessdate=10 October 2020 |date=24 July 2020}}
Early life
Morris is the son of Dr. Eleanor Morris of Burgess, Virginia and the late Rev. T. Wright Morris. He graduated from Northumberland High School, in Heathsville, Virginia, in 1975. He earned his bachelor's degree in mass communications from Norfolk State University.{{cite web |last1=Hinton-Valdrighi |first1=Lisa |title=Exposing crime: Morris on LIVE PD {{!}} Rappahannock Record |url=https://rrecord.com/exposing-crime-morris-on-live-pd/ |publisher=Rappahannock Record |accessdate=10 October 2020 |date=25 July 2018}}
Career
Morris' first job in television came while he was still in college, as an intern news writer in Norfolk, Virginia. After college, he worked as a courier with the White House press corps, and worked his way up to cameraman.{{cite web |last1=Bozek |first1=Rachel |title=Tom Morris Jr. on His Journey from 'America's Most Wanted' to 'Live PD' and Beyond |url=https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/tom-morris-jr-live-pd-wanted |website=A&E |accessdate=10 October 2020 |language=en |date=16 October 2019}}
Morris left the press corps in the 1980s and took a job as an economic development specialist with Prince George's County in Maryland.{{cite news |last1=Koenig |first1=Bryan |title='Most Wanted' reporter savors catching criminals |url=https://www.theeagleonline.com/article/2007/03/most-wanted-reporter-savors-catching-criminals |accessdate=10 October 2020 |work=The Eagle |date=26 March 2007 |language=en}} In 1987, he joined the U.S. State Department's newly formed antiterrorism Embassy Task Group.{{cite web |title=American Red Cross in Greater NY Welcomes Tom Morris Jr to its Board of Directors |url=https://www.redcross.org/local/new-york/greater-new-york/about-us/news-and-events/press-releases/tom-morris-jr-to-gny-board-of-directors.html |publisher=American Red Cross |accessdate=10 October 2020 |language=en |date=8 March 2019}} He was assigned to Mogadishu, Somalia.
In 1993, Morris began working as a producer for America's Most Wanted. After three years of working on the show, the executive producer of the show assigned him to be an on-air correspondent for a murder case. He continued his on-air work for the show through 2011.
In 2016, Morris was contacted by the producers of Live PD to be a co-host alongside Dan Abrams. He worked on the show for the entirety of its run.
Morris' experience on AMW led to Live PD regularly featuring a "Wanted" segment during its episodes, starting in the first season. During season 2, Morris worked with Angeline Hartmann (who had also worked at AMW) at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to produce a regular "Missing" segment within the show as well. As Live PD grew in popularity, it spawned a number of spin-offs; one of those, Live PD: Wanted, was hosted by Morris solo.
Other endeavors
In 2019, Morris was added to the board of directors of the American Red Cross in greater New York.{{cite web |title=Regional Leadership |url=https://www.redcross.org/local/new-york/greater-new-york/about-us/leadership.html |website=www.redcross.org |language=en}} He is also the narrator for the A&E series, "Fugitives: Caught On Tape".
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:American television hosts
Category:American television producers
Category:Norfolk State University alumni