Joseph Curran Morrison (August 20, 1816 – December 6, 1885) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

. He was born in Ireland in 1816 and came to

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

with his family in 1830. He studied at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an independent day and boarding school for boys in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as Canada's most prestigious preparatory school, and ha ...

, studied law, articled with Simon Ebenezer Washburn and was called to the bar in 1839. In 1848, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly for the West riding of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

. He was elected to represent Niagara in an 1852 by-election after

Francis Hincks Sir Francis Hincks, (December 14, 1807 – August 18, 1885) was a Canadian businessman, politician, and British colonial administrator. An immigrant from Ireland, he was the Co-Premier of the Province of Canada (1851–1854), Governor of Ba ...

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 The Northern Railway of Canada was a railway in the province of Ontario, Canada. It was the first steam railway to enter service in what was then known as Upper Canada. It was eventually acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway, and is therefore a p ...

. He prosecuted the case against

Grace Marks Grace Marks (c. 1828 – after c. 1873) was an Irish-Canadian maid who was involved in the 1843 murder of her employer Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery, in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Her conviction for the murder of Kinnear wa ...

and James McDermott in 1853 and, in 1860, prosecuted James Brown for the murder of John Sheridan Hogan. He was named a

puisne Puisne (; from Old French ''puisné'', modern ''puîné'', "later born, younger" (and thence, "inferior") from late Latin ''post-'', "after", and ''natus'', "born") is a legal term of art used mainly in British English meaning "inferior in rank". ...

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. In 1877, he became a member of the

Court of Appeal for Ontario The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently mistakenly referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal) (ONCA is the abbreviation for its neutral citation) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Ha ...

serving until 1885. Morrison was chancellor of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

from 1863 to 1876. He died in Toronto in 1885. His brother

Angus Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...

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, (December 14, 1837 – June 13, 1901) was a Canadian lawyer and Liberal politician who served as the fourth premier of Ontario from 1896 to 1899. Early life Born in Mount Pleasant, Brant County, in 1837, Hardy was ...

, Ontario's fourth

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
1816 births 1885 deaths Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Judges in Ontario Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West Chancellors of the University of Toronto People of the Fenian raids {{Canada-law-bio-stub