| James H. Morrison | |
| State: | Louisiana |
| District: | 6th |
| Term Start: | January 3, 1943 |
| Term End: | January 3, 1967 |
| Preceded: | Jared Y. Sanders Jr. |
| Succeeded: | John Rarick |
| Birth Name: | James Hobson Morrison |
| Birth Date: | 8 December 1908 |
| Birth Place: | Hammond, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Hammond, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Resting Place: | Episcopal Church Cemetery in Hammond, Louisiana |
| Residence: | Hammond, Louisiana Loranger Tangipahopa Parish |
| Spouse: | Marjorie Abbey Morrison (married 1940–2000, his death) |
| Children: | James Hobson Morrison, Jr. Benjamin Abbey Morrison |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Occupation: | Attorney |
| Alma Mater: | Tulane University School of Law |
James Hobson Morrison (December 8, 1908 – July 20, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician who served twelve terms as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana from 1943 to 1967.[1]
James H. Morrison was born in Hammond, Louisiana on December 8, 1908. He attended the public schools[2] and graduated from the Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans in 1934.[3] He passed the bar and began a private legal practice in Hammond. He supported better treatment for strawberry pickers and founded a labor newspaper.[4]
He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1939 and again in 1944.[5]
In 1942, he ran as a Democrat for a seat in the U.S. House, seeking to represent Louisiana's 6th congressional district. He won election and would serve in Congress for the next 24 years.[6] [7]
He was initially assigned to serve on five committees, but after only a few days he stepped down from those committees because they dealt with issues less directly impactful to his district than the agricultural concerns he sought to represent.[8] He quickly gained a reputation as a populist and supporter of federal highway funding in his district.[9] [10]
He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in both 1956 and 1960.[11]
In 1956, Morrison was a signatory of the Southern Manifesto. He voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, and 1964.[12] [13] [14] However in 1965, he voted for the Voting Rights Act, which many believe cost him his seat.[15]
In 1966, he was defeated in the Democratic primary election by Louisiana judge John R. Rarick.[16]
After leaving Congress, he returned to Hammond to take up his law practice.[17] He became a prolific fundraiser and supporter of Southeastern Louisiana University, to which he had also steered federal contracts during his time in office.[18] [19]
James Morrison died in Hammond on July 20, 2000, following a series of health problems, including two heart attacks and a stroke. His body is interred at Episcopal Church Cemetery in Hammond.
He was survived by his wife of 60 years, Marjorie Abbey Morrison and their two sons, James Jr. and Benjamin.[20] [21]
Congressional Quarterly's Guide to Elections", Gubernatorial primary elections, 1940, 1944, 1948; Congressional general elections, 1960 and 1964