William Leverett Morrison
Nominee: William Morrison..
Nominated by: Charles J. Jacques, Jr.

I came across William Morrison. He was an officer in the Erie Naval Reserve. He
helped to make sure Niagara was correctly reconstructed. He then captained the
Wolverine (Michigan) as it towed the Niagara around the Great Lakes as part of
the Centennial Celebration. He was Erie's represented to ever port from Chicago,
Toledo, Buffalo to Fairview, OH when the Niagara and Wolverine docked. He was
Erie's ambassador to the rest of the country. He ran his crew from the Naval
Reserve wit distinction. He ran into really bad weather when he left Chicago and
turned back rather than risking the boats and his crew. He confronted
politicians in Chicago who wanted to charge to come aboard the Niagara when it
was free - provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and City of Erie. He
fought with distancing in World War I. He served on the Utah and was part of the
6th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet. For fifteen months he served in the
North Atlantic between Ireland and Iceland. The officers and crew of the
Wolverine held a reunion on Morrison's birthday for many years. He was loved by
his men. He served two terms in the state legislature. Morrison was a candidate
for Mayor of Eire in 1926. He ran as a Republican but lost by a small margin. He
was married to Katherine Mack Morrison, who became Erie's head librarian. She
was the highest paid women in Erie for many years. One of the organizers of the
Eire Yacht Club in 1894. In 1922 William Morrison was named he first
superintendants of the Presque Isle State Park.
I am working on a book on Erie's Centennial Celebration of Perry's victory in
1913.
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