John MORRIS

Background

MORRIS, John was born on November 5, 1931 in Aberystwyth. Son of the late D. W. Morris.

Education

Ardwyn, Aberystwyth, Ltniv. College, of Wales, Aberystwyth, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and Academy, of Institute Law, The Hague.

Career

Morris was a barrister and was called to the Bar by Gray"s Inn in 1954. He practised at 2 Bedford Row Chambers, took silk in 1973 and was made a Bencher of Gray"s Inn in 1984. Between 1982 and 1997 Morris was a Recorder of the Crown Court.

He represented Aberavon as its Labour Member of Parliament from 1959 and was the longest serving Welsh Member of Parliament until his retirement in 2001, when he was succeeded by Hywel Francis.

He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Transport, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence, Secretary of State for Wales between 5 March 1974 and 4 May 1979 and returned to Government as the Attorney General for England and Wales and Northern Ireland between 1997 and 1999, having shadowed the role since 1983. As such, he was one of only a small handful of Labour ministers to hold office under Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Tony Blair.

Achievements

• He was created a life peer as Baron Morris of Aberavon, of Aberavon in the County of West Glamorgan and of Ceredigion in the County of Dyfed, in 2001, made Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed a year later and created a Knight of the Order of the Garter in 2003. Lord Morris has been Chancellor of the University of South Wales since its formation in 2013. The University of South Wales was formed by a merger between University of Glamorgan (where Lord Morris was Chancellor since 2002) and the University of Wales, Newport. He succeeded fellow Labour politician Lord Merlyn-Rees as the Chancellor for the University of Glamorgan. Lord Morris was President of the London Welsh Trust, which runs the London Welsh Centre, Gray"s Inn Road, from 2001 until 2008. He is also a council member of The Prince"s Trust.

Membership

42nd United Kingdom Parliament. 43rd United Kingdom Parliament. 44th United Kingdom Parliament.

45th United Kingdom Parliament.

46th United Kingdom Parliament. 47th United Kingdom Parliament.

48th United Kingdom Parliament. 49th United Kingdom Parliament.

50th United Kingdom Parliament.

51st United Kingdom Parliament. 52nd United Kingdom Parliament]

He was a moderate Labour Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) from 1959 to 2001 and Secretary of State for Wales from 1974 to 1979. He is also a council member of The Prince"s Trust.

Connections

Married Margaret M. Morris j.p in 1959.

Father:

the late D. West. Morris

Spouse:

Margaret M. Morris j.p