Bruce Morrison
Encyclopedia
Bruce Andrew Morrison is a former Congressman from Connecticut
and candidate for Governor of Connecticut. He is a lobbyist and immigration lawyer. He is a member of the Democratic Party
, and an officer of the National Democratic Ethnic Coordinating Committee.
, Long Island
. As a child, he attended public schools and graduated from Northport High School
in 1962.
Morrison attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, and graduated in three years in 1965 with a degree in chemistry.
He received a master's degree in organic chemistry
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
in 1970. At Illinois, he founded the Graduate Student Association as an advocacy organization for the over 8000 graduate students on campus. He was elected and re-elected as the first Chairman of the group. In 1970, he worked as a Special Assistant to the Dean of Students.
Morrison received a J.D. from Yale Law School
in 1973. Among his classmates were future President Bill Clinton
, future First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
, future Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, future Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
, and future U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal
. While at Yale Law School, he worked for Greater Boston Legal Services, the Natural Resources Defense Council
, and New Haven Legal Assistance Association.
On a national level, Morrison was a leader of the Project Advisory Group representing the legal services programs from around the country. He advocated for these programs before the federal Legal Services Corporationa and the Congress, including the successful campaign that prevented the defunding of legal services proposed by President Ronald Reagan
.
incumbent Lawrence J. DeNardis by 1987 votes to become the U.S. Representative from Connecticut's Third District. After narrowly defeating DeNardis again in 1984, he won easy re-elections in 1986 and 1988.
Morrison was the first chairman of the Freshman Democratic Caucus of the 98th Congress. He was selected to serve on the House Banking Committee and the House Judiciary Committee, as well as the Veterans Affairs and DC Committees and the Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families. He was an expert on housing issues and authored numerous amendments to improve housing opportunites for the poor. He was deeply involved in human rights issues, visiting Cuba
to demand the release of prisoners, Chile
as part of a campaign to oust dictator Augusto Pinochet
, South Africa
to protest apartheid, Nicaragua
to oppose aid to the Contras
and Paraguay
to observe elections after the overthrow of dictator [first name] Stroessner. Morrison was a leader in efforts to reduce deficits and balance the federal budget. He was the Democratic sponsor of floor amendments to freeze spending in 1984 and 1985.
He served as chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee from 1989-1991. He was the House author of the Immigration Act of 1990, one of only two major immigration bills in the country’s history to increase legal immigration. The legislation increased the focus of immigrant admission toward high skilled workers. The bill also included a provision that became known as the Morrison Visa Program. It allotted 40,000 visas each year for three years to countries that had been disadvantaged by the 1965 immigration legislation. Immigrants from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were allotted with 40% (48,000) of the visas.
Morrison ran for governor of Connecticut in 1990. The incumbent Democratic Governor, William O'Neill
, had become very unpopular due to years of state budget crises and chose not to seek re-election. Although he defeated William Cibes in the Democratic primary, hefinished a distant third in the general despite a sizable Democratic voter registration advantage, behind Republican John G. Rowland
and the eventual winner, Independent Lowell Weicker. Morrison could not overcome public dissatisfaction with the Democrats. After losing, he started his own law firm specializing in immigration law in New Haven, Connecticut
.
in Northern Ireland. Clinton’s pledges during the campaign became the basis of his work on the Irish Peace Process when in office. Morrison formed the Americans for a New Irish Agenda to support and encourage these efforts.
With Irish Voice publisher Niall O'Dowd
, Morrison acted as a key intermediary between Gerry Adams
' Sinn Féin
, the White House, and the Fianna Fáil
government led by Albert Reynolds
. Morrison, O'Dowd, Bill Flynn (former CEO of Mutual of America Insurance Co.), Philanthropist Chuck Feeney, and Joe Jamison and Bill Lenahan of the Irish American Labor Coalition were crucial in paving the way for Adams's controversial visa into the U.S. in February 1994 to address the National Committee on American Foreign Policy
and for the Provisional Irish Republican Army
's (IRA) ceasefire declaration of August 1994. Morrison continued to play an active role in the Peace Process throughout the 1990s and conducted negotiations leading to the renewed IRA ceasefire in 1997.
In 1995, he was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be the director of the Federal Housing Finance Board
, an independent agency regulating the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks, a wholesale banking system with assets then in excess of $600 billion.
His work included the successful advocacy of the passage of the Federal Home Loan Bank Modernization Act of 1999, a bi-partisan effort which provided for new powers for the Banks, devolution of management, and a modern risk-based capital structure. Under Morrison‘s leadership, the Finance Board also provided the Banks with new business opportunities in housing finance and economic development through pilot programs and regulatory innovations. These changes were implemented through a regulatory agenda in the first six months of 2000.
-based lobbying firm. The firm specializes in financial services, housing finance, and immigration policy. Morrison also conducts an immigration law practice.
Morrison has remained active in Irish-American organizing and advocacy. He represents the Irish community on the National Democratic Ethnic Coordinating Committee, an official committee of the Democratic National Committee
. He serves as one of three Co-Convenors of the Council. Morrison recently appeared at the National University of Ireland, Galway
on October 30, 2008 to participate in a debate on the 2008 U.S. Presidential election in support of Senator Barack Obama
. His opponent was Grant Lally, head of Irish-Americans for John McCain
.
He resides with his family in Bethesda
, Maryland
.
Gubernatorial election
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and candidate for Governor of Connecticut. He is a lobbyist and immigration lawyer. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, and an officer of the National Democratic Ethnic Coordinating Committee.
Education
At a young age, he was adopted by George and Dorothea Morrison who lived in NorthportNorthport
-Places:United States*Northport, Alabama*Northport, Maine*Northport, Michigan*Northport, Nebraska*Northport, New York**Northport High School*Northport, Tennessee*Northport, Washington*Northport, Door County, Wisconsin*Northport, Waupaca County, Wisconsin...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. As a child, he attended public schools and graduated from Northport High School
Northport High School
Northport High School is a four-year secondary school in Northport, New York that serves as the high school for the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District which is composed of Northport, Eatons Neck, Asharoken and much of East Northport, all located in the Town of Huntington...
in 1962.
Morrison attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, and graduated in three years in 1965 with a degree in chemistry.
He received a master's degree in organic chemistry
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
in 1970. At Illinois, he founded the Graduate Student Association as an advocacy organization for the over 8000 graduate students on campus. He was elected and re-elected as the first Chairman of the group. In 1970, he worked as a Special Assistant to the Dean of Students.
Morrison received a J.D. from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
in 1973. Among his classmates were future President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, future First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
, future Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, future Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
, and future U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal
Richard Blumenthal
Richard Blumenthal is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut and a member of the Democratic Party. Previously, he served as Attorney General of Connecticut....
. While at Yale Law School, he worked for Greater Boston Legal Services, the Natural Resources Defense Council
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council is a New York City-based, non-profit, non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing...
, and New Haven Legal Assistance Association.
Legal services career
In June 1973, Morrison became a Staff Attorney with New Haven Legal Assistance Association (LAA), one of the earliest programs to provide civil legal services to the poor. He was promoted to Managing Attorney a year late and became Executive Director in 1976. During his tenure at LAA, he was a mentor to many future litigators and judges. He was lead counsel in numerous successful class action cases based on federal Constitutional and statutory claims. He repeatedly argued in the Connecticut Appellate and Supreme Courts. He also lobbied on behalf of low income clients in the Connecticut legislature and helped draft landmark Landlord-Tenant reform legislation.On a national level, Morrison was a leader of the Project Advisory Group representing the legal services programs from around the country. He advocated for these programs before the federal Legal Services Corporationa and the Congress, including the successful campaign that prevented the defunding of legal services proposed by President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Member of Congress and campaign for Governor
In 1982, Morrison mounted a successful grass roots campaign for Congress. He defeated the party-endorsed Democrat in a primary and then defeated RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
incumbent Lawrence J. DeNardis by 1987 votes to become the U.S. Representative from Connecticut's Third District. After narrowly defeating DeNardis again in 1984, he won easy re-elections in 1986 and 1988.
Morrison was the first chairman of the Freshman Democratic Caucus of the 98th Congress. He was selected to serve on the House Banking Committee and the House Judiciary Committee, as well as the Veterans Affairs and DC Committees and the Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families. He was an expert on housing issues and authored numerous amendments to improve housing opportunites for the poor. He was deeply involved in human rights issues, visiting Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
to demand the release of prisoners, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
as part of a campaign to oust dictator Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to protest apartheid, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
to oppose aid to the Contras
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
to observe elections after the overthrow of dictator [first name] Stroessner. Morrison was a leader in efforts to reduce deficits and balance the federal budget. He was the Democratic sponsor of floor amendments to freeze spending in 1984 and 1985.
He served as chairman of the House Immigration Subcommittee from 1989-1991. He was the House author of the Immigration Act of 1990, one of only two major immigration bills in the country’s history to increase legal immigration. The legislation increased the focus of immigrant admission toward high skilled workers. The bill also included a provision that became known as the Morrison Visa Program. It allotted 40,000 visas each year for three years to countries that had been disadvantaged by the 1965 immigration legislation. Immigrants from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were allotted with 40% (48,000) of the visas.
Morrison ran for governor of Connecticut in 1990. The incumbent Democratic Governor, William O'Neill
William O'Neill
William O'Neill or Bill O'Neill may refer to:*Bill O'Neill , baseball player*Bill O'Neill , professional ten-pin bowler*Bill O'Neill , News Corporation executive...
, had become very unpopular due to years of state budget crises and chose not to seek re-election. Although he defeated William Cibes in the Democratic primary, hefinished a distant third in the general despite a sizable Democratic voter registration advantage, behind Republican John G. Rowland
John G. Rowland
John Grosvenor Rowland was the 86th Governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004; he is a member of the Republican Party. He is married to Patty Rowland, his second wife, and the couple have five children between them...
and the eventual winner, Independent Lowell Weicker. Morrison could not overcome public dissatisfaction with the Democrats. After losing, he started his own law firm specializing in immigration law in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
.
Clinton Administration
In 1992, Morrison supported Bill Clinton’s campaign by forming Irish Americans for Clinton-Gore, which recruited Clinton to support an activist agenda to assist in ending the TroublesThe Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in Northern Ireland. Clinton’s pledges during the campaign became the basis of his work on the Irish Peace Process when in office. Morrison formed the Americans for a New Irish Agenda to support and encourage these efforts.
With Irish Voice publisher Niall O'Dowd
Niall O'Dowd
Niall O'Dowd , is an Irish journalist and author living in the United States. He was extensively involved in the negotiations leading to the Irish Good Friday Peace Agreement, and is a proponent of comprehensive immigration reform in the United States...
, Morrison acted as a key intermediary between Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
' Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
, the White House, and the Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
government led by Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds
Albert Reynolds , served as Taoiseach of Ireland, serving one term in office from 1992 until 1994. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize...
. Morrison, O'Dowd, Bill Flynn (former CEO of Mutual of America Insurance Co.), Philanthropist Chuck Feeney, and Joe Jamison and Bill Lenahan of the Irish American Labor Coalition were crucial in paving the way for Adams's controversial visa into the U.S. in February 1994 to address the National Committee on American Foreign Policy
National Committee on American Foreign Policy
The National Committee on American Foreign Policy is a nonprofit, nonpartisan activist organization dedicated to the resolution of conflicts that threaten U.S. interests. Founded in 1974 by Hans J...
and for the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
's (IRA) ceasefire declaration of August 1994. Morrison continued to play an active role in the Peace Process throughout the 1990s and conducted negotiations leading to the renewed IRA ceasefire in 1997.
In 1995, he was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be the director of the Federal Housing Finance Board
Federal Housing Finance Board
The Federal Housing Finance Board was an independent agency of the United States government established in 1989 in the aftermath of the savings and loan crisis to take over oversight of the Federal Home Loan Banks , and was superseded by the Federal Housing Finance Agency in 2008.The FHFB...
, an independent agency regulating the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks, a wholesale banking system with assets then in excess of $600 billion.
His work included the successful advocacy of the passage of the Federal Home Loan Bank Modernization Act of 1999, a bi-partisan effort which provided for new powers for the Banks, devolution of management, and a modern risk-based capital structure. Under Morrison‘s leadership, the Finance Board also provided the Banks with new business opportunities in housing finance and economic development through pilot programs and regulatory innovations. These changes were implemented through a regulatory agenda in the first six months of 2000.
2001 to present
After leaving the Finance Board in July 2000, he founded the Morrison Public Affairs Group (MPAG), a Bethesda, MarylandBethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
-based lobbying firm. The firm specializes in financial services, housing finance, and immigration policy. Morrison also conducts an immigration law practice.
Morrison has remained active in Irish-American organizing and advocacy. He represents the Irish community on the National Democratic Ethnic Coordinating Committee, an official committee of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
. He serves as one of three Co-Convenors of the Council. Morrison recently appeared at the National University of Ireland, Galway
National University of Ireland, Galway
The National University of Ireland, Galway is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland...
on October 30, 2008 to participate in a debate on the 2008 U.S. Presidential election in support of Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. His opponent was Grant Lally, head of Irish-Americans for John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
.
He resides with his family in Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
Election results
Congressional elections| Year | Results |
|---|---|
| 1982 | Morrison 50% (D), DeNardis 49% (R), Fischman <1% (CPUSA) |
| 1984 | Morrison 52% (D), DeNardis 47% (R), Fischman <1% (CPUSA) |
| 1986 | Morrison 70% (D), Ernest J. Diette, Jr. 30% (R) |
| 1988 | Morrison 66% (D), Gerard B. Patton 34% (R) |
Gubernatorial election
| Year | Results |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Weicker 40% (A Connecticut Party), Rowland 38% (R), Morrison 20% (D), Independents 2% |