Joseph Curran Morrison
Encyclopedia
He was born in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in 1816 and came to Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
with his family in 1830. He studied at Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College , located in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is an independent elementary and secondary school for boys between Senior Kindergarten and Grade Twelve, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The secondary school segment is divided into ten houses; eight are...
, studied law, articled with Simon Ebenezer Washburn and was called to the bar in 1839. In 1848, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the...
for the West riding of York
York County, Ontario
York County is a historic county in Upper Canada, Canada West, and the Canadian province of Ontario.York County was created in 1792 and was part of the jurisdiction of Home District of Upper Canada...
. He was elected to represent Niagara
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a Canadian town located in Southern Ontario where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region of the southern part of the province of Ontario. It is located across the Niagara river from Youngstown, New York, USA...
in an 1852 by-election after Francis Hincks
Francis Hincks
Sir Francis Hincks, KCMG, PC was a Canadian politician.Born in Cork, Ireland, he was the son of Thomas Dix Hincks an orientalist, naturalist and Presbyterian minister and the brother of Edward Hincks orientalist, naturalist and clergyman.He moved to York in 1832 and set up an importing business...
was elected in both Niagara and Oxford; Morrison was reelected in 1854. He served on the Executive Council as solicitor general from 1853 to 1854. In 1856, he was named receiver general, serving until 1858. He served as director and later president for the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron railway
Northern Railway of Canada
The Northern Railway of Canada was a historical Canadian railway located in the province of Ontario. It was eventually acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway, and is therefore a predecessor to the modern Canadian National Railway.- Early history :...
. He prosecuted the case against Grace Marks
Grace Marks
Grace Marks was an Canadian maid who was convicted in 1843 of murder in the death of her employer Thomas Kinnear, and was suspected of murdering his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery...
and James McDermott
James McDermott
James McDermott is the name of:* Jimmy McDermott , English professional footballer* James McDermott , American businessman, former CEO and chairman of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods* James T...
in 1853 and, in 1860, prosecuted James Brown for the murder of John Sheridan Hogan
John Sheridan Hogan
John Sheridan Hogan was a journalist, lawyer and political figure in Canada West.He was born near Dublin, Ireland around 1815. He arrived in Toronto around 1827, having come to live with an uncle. He ran away and found work in Hamilton with the Canadian Wesleyan, a newspaper published in the early...
. He was named a puisne
Puisne
Puisne is a legal term of art used mainly in British English meaning "inferior in rank." It is pronounced like the word puny, and the word, so spelled, has become an ordinary adjective meaning weak or undersized.The judges and barons of the common law courts at...
judge in the Court of Common Pleas in 1862 and named to the Court of Queen's Bench the following year. He heard the case against 11 persons charged in the 1866 Fenian raids
Fenian raids
Between 1866 and 1871, the Fenian raids of the Fenian Brotherhood who were based in the United States; on British army forts, customs posts and other targets in Canada, were fought to bring pressure on Britain to withdraw from Ireland. They divided many Catholic Irish-Canadians, many of whom were...
. In 1877, he became a member of the Court of Appeal for Ontario serving until 1885. Morrison was chancellor of the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
from 1863 to 1876. He died in Toronto in 1885.
His brother Angus
Angus Morrison
Angus Morrison, QC was an Ontario lawyer and political figure. He represented Niagara in the Canadian House of Commons as a Conservative member from 1867 to 1874...
was a member of the Canadian House of Commons and a mayor of Toronto. His daughter Mary Morrison married Arthur Sturgis Hardy
Arthur Sturgis Hardy
Arthur Sturgis Hardy, QC was a lawyer and Liberal politician who served as the fourth Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1896 to 1899. On January 19, 1870 he married Mary Morrison, daughter of Judge Joseph Curran Morrison.Hardy attended school at the Rockwood Academy in Rockwood, Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
's fourth Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
.