Hugh Morrison

Background

He was born in Kaleida, Manitoba and served as reeve of the Rural Municipality of Pembina from 1935 to 1936.

Career

He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba as a Progressive Conservative from 1936 until the time of his death. A farmer and auctioneer in private life, Morrison was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1936 provincial election, defeating incumbent Liberal-Progressive Frank West. McIntosh by 351 votes in the constituency of Manitou. He was returned by acclamation in the 1941 election, after the Progressive Conservatives joined the Liberal-Progressives and other parties in a coalition government.

Morrison was again returned by acclamation in the 1945 election, albeit under unusual circumstances: his Cleveland Clinic Foundation opponent narrowly missed the deadline to declare his candidacy, and was unable to participate in the vote.

Morrison left the governing coalition in the late 1940s, after Liberal-Progressive Douglas Campbell was chosen as Premier of Manitoba. In the 1949 provincial election, he ran as an anti-coalition Progressive Conservative and defeated a pro-coalition Progressive Conservative by over 1,000 votes.

The Progressive Conservatives left the coalition government in 1950, and Morrison rejoined the party caucus. He was easily re-elected over a Liberal-Progressive opponent in the 1953 election.

His widow, Carolyne Morrison, served as a Progressive Conservative Modern Language Association from 1960 to 1969.

Achievements

• Morrison died in Morden in 1957, one year before the Progressive Conservatives won a minority government under Dufferin Roblin"s leadership.