Chep Morrison

DeLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr.​
54th Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana​
In office April 4, 1946​ – July 17, 1961​
Preceded by	Robert Sidney aestri​
Succeeded by	Victor H. Schiro
Louisiana State Representative for Orleans Parish​
In office 1940​ – 1946
Preceded by	James A. Lindsay
Succeeded by	Joseph L. Paizza
Born	January 18, 1912​ New Roads, Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana​
Died	May 22, 1964 (aged 52) ​ Ciudad Victoria, Mexico​
Resting place	Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans
Political party	Democrat​
Spouse(s)	Corinne Adele Waterman Morrison (married 1942-1959, her death)​
Relations	Jacob Haight Morrison, IV (half-brother)​
Children	deLesseps "Toni" Morrison, Jr. (1944–1996) Corinne Ann Morrison (born 1947) Randolph Waterman "Randy" Morrison (1956–1964)​ Parents: Jacob Haight, III, and Anita Oliver Morrison
Alma mater	Poydras Academy (New Roads) Louisiana State University ​ LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center​ (Baton Rouge)
Occupation	Attorney United States Army Major General in World War II
Religion	Roman Catholic

DeLesseps Story Morrison, Sr., known as Chep Morrison (January 12, 1912 – May 22, 1964), was the mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1946 to 1961 who made three unsuccessful Democratic campaigns for governor, losing in 1956 to Earl Kemp Long, in 1960 to Jimmie Davis, and in 1964 to John J. McKeithen.

Background

Morrison was born in New Roads in Pointe Coupee Parish in east Louisiana, a son of Jacob Haight Morrison, III (1975-1929), the district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, and the former Anita Oliver. whose years of birth and death are unavailable. He graduated from Poydras Academy in New Roads and in 1932 from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Two years later he received his law degree from the LSU Law Center. In the Great Depression, Morrison became a trial attorney with the New Deal agency, the National Recovery Administration.

In 1936, Morrison began a legal partnership with his half-brother Jacob Haight Morrison, IV, and Hale Boggs, later the long-term U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. Boggs' wife and successor in the House, Corinne Claiborne "Lindy" Boggs (1916–2013), was a cousin of Chep Morrison.

On October 3, 1942, the 30-year-old Morrison married Corinne Adele Waterman (1921-1959) of New Orleans. She died a few months before he launched his 1959 gubernatorial campaign. The couple had three children: deLesseps Story “Toni” Morrison, Jr. (1944-1996), who like his father died at the age of fifty-two, Corinne Ann Morrison (born 1947) and John Randolph "Randy" Waterman Morrison (1956-1964)

Political life

In 1939, Morrison helped in the organization of the People's League of Independent Voters, New Orleans. He represented District 12 in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1940 to 1946, when he resigned to become mayor, having unseated the pro-Long Robert Sidney Maestri (1899-1974). He was aligned with the anti-Long political faction. He served in the United States Army while officially a state legislator and rose to the rank of first, a colonel. He was a recipient of the Bronze Star, served in England, France, Belgium, and Germany. In 1944, he won legislative reelection in absentia while in the Army.

After the war, Morrison remained in the U. S. Army Reserve and attained the rank of major general. He founded the Crescent City Democratic Association which push him to victory in the 1946 mayoral election. The Crescent City organization sparred with the Long-backed "Old Regulars." Morrison pushed for street construction, improved drainage, creation of city recreation department, a modern civic center complex, completed in 1957 and named for later Mayor Ernest Nathan "Dutch" Morial (1929-1989), the first of New Orleans' string of African-American mayors. he encouragement of new trade and industry, establishment of municipal office of international relations, implementation of home rule charter that created the current mayor-council form of government and enactment of a comprehensive zoning ordinance. On his watch, Morrison also had police scandals, the spoils system, inadequate planning, and weak leadership during the 1959-1960 public school desegregation crisis.

In 1950, Morrison was named national president of the American Municipal Association. In 1953, he won the La Guardia Award, named for former New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia. He was a strong supporter of John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election in which Kennedy easily won the electoral vote in Louisiana over Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon. In 1961, Morrison resigned as mayor to become the United States Ambassador to the Organization of American States under appointment from President Kennedy. He left that post in 1963 to make his third bid for governor was a Roman Catholic. Some speculated this urban Catholic background worked against him the gubernatorial campaigns; not until 1972 did a Catholic, Edwin Edwards, win the governorship. When Morrison ran for mayor, the south Louisiana vote was not as large or as organized as were the voters in north Louisiana, where many parishes since declined in population over the past decades.

Death at 52

Morrison and his younger son, "Randy," died near Ciudad Victoria, Mexico in the spring of 1964, five months after he lost the third race for governor to John McKeithen. Morrison and his wife and sons are interred at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans.