Cameron A. Morrison

Who was Cameron A. Morrison?

Cameron A. Morrison was the 55th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1921 to 1925.

He was born in 1869 in Richmond County, North Carolina. With the backing of Sen. Furnifold Simmons and the help of race-baiting tactics employed by A. D. Watts, Morrison defeated O. Max Gardner in the 1920 Democratic primary for Governor. He was later called "the Good Roads governor" for his support of a modern highway system. Morrison also pushed for increased funds for public education, while also battling the teaching of the theory of evolution.

He was later appointed to serve as a United States Senator for the state of North Carolina between 1930 and 1932, but lost his seat in the Democratic primary runoff to Robert R. Reynolds.

Morrison was later elected to one term in the United States House of Representatives from 1943 to 1945. He again lost a Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat in 1944, to Clyde R. Hoey. He died in Quebec City in 1953. A ten-story residence hall on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill is named in his honor.