Lt. Governor William S. Morris (Bill) was one of the smartest people to ever hold public office in Jefferson City. He was an astute politician, had a photographic memory, and never forgot a conversation. He was born and raised in Higginsville, next door to my dad’s uncle Bill Hackley. He dropped out of school, formed the Lafayette County Young Democrat Club and was making his living hustling pool when the County Collector who recognized his intelligence and abilities paid his way to finish his schooling at Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington. He was drafted as a Private in 1942 and came out of the Army as a Major in 1946, having been awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star.
Morris was an attorney, manager of the Hotel Phillips, and Jackson County Public Administrator when he decided to run for Lt. Governor. I was his campaign coordinator. I hired part of his staff that weren’t volunteers, obtained endorsements including all sixteen mayors in Jackson County, and took a group of young people around the state campaigning.
One hot August day we were campaigning in Potosi in the old 10th Congressional District in southeast Missouri. The girls were passing out brochures, the boys putting up posters, and I was calling on businesspeople. We had been campaigning for several days and were all quite tired. I walked in this lumber yard where a young boy about eight years old was sitting on a stool behind the counter. I could hear his daddy sawing up lumber in the back of the building. I walked in, pointed my finger at the little boy and asked, “Is your daddy a Democrat or Republican?” Without hesitation the boy replied, “He’s a Baptist”.
Jack can be reached at PO Box 40, Oak Grove, MO 64075 or jackremembers@aol.com
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