James Lowery Donaldson Morrison (April 12, 1816 – August 14, 1888) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. Born in

Kaskaskia, Illinois Kaskaskia is a village in Randolph County, Illinois. Having been inhabited by indigenous peoples, it was settled by France as part of the Illinois Country. It was named for the Kaskaskia people. Its population peaked at about 7,000 in the 18th c ...

, Morrison was appointed midshipman in the Navy in 1832 and served until December 31, 1839, when he resigned. He studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and commenced practice in

Belleville, Illinois Belleville is a city and the county seat of St. Clair County, Illinois, coterminous with the now defunct Belleville Township. It is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville and the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. The p ...

. He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1844. Raised a company and served in the Mexican War as lieutenant colonel of Bissell's regiment of Illinois Volunteers from July 1, 1846, to July 1, 1847. He was presented a sword by the Illinois legislature for services at Buena Vista. He served as member of the State senate in 1848. He was an unsuccessful Whig candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1852. Morrison was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Thirty-fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

Lyman Trumbull Lyman Trumbull (October 12, 1813 – June 25, 1896) was a lawyer, judge, and United States Senator from Illinois and the co-author of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Born in Colchester, Connecticut, Trumbull esta ...

and served from November 4, 1856 to March 3, 1857. At the same election he was not the nominee for the Thirty-fifth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

in 1860. His wife, Mary, was the daughter of

Thomas Carlin Thomas Carlin (July 18, 1789 – February 14, 1852), a farmer, soldier and Jacksonian Democrat, was the seventh Governor of Illinois (from 1838 to 1842) and also served in both houses of the Illinois General Assembly. He became the first Democ ...

, who was governor from 1838 to 1942. Morrison died in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, on August 14, 1888 and was interred in Calvary Cemetery.

Morrisonville, Illinois Morrisonville is a small town in Christian County, Illinois, United States. The population was 997 at the 2020 census. Geography Morrisonville is located at (39.419276, -89.457320). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Morrisonville ha ...

is named in his honor.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, James Lowery Donaldson 1816 births 1888 deaths United States Army officers United States Navy officers American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Illinois Whigs Illinois state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Members of the Illinois House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians People from Kaskaskia, Illinois People from St. Clair County, Illinois Military personnel from Illinois