John Morris, Baron Morris of Aberavon

Infobox Minister
honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable
name = The Lord Morris of Aberavon
honorific-suffix =
KG, PC, QC


office = Attorney General for England and Wales
term_start = 1997
term_end = 1999
primeminister = Tony Blair
predecessor = Sir Nicholas Lyell
successor = The Lord Williams of Mostyn
office2 = Secretary of State for Wales
term_start2 = 1974
term_end2 = 1979
predecessor2 = Peter Thomas
successor2 = Nicholas Edwards
primeminister2 = Harold Wilson / James Callaghan
office3 =
term_start3 =
term_end3 =
primeminister3 =
predecessor3 =
successor3 =
constituency_MP4=Aberavon
majority4 =
term_start4 = 1959
term_end4 = 2001
predecessor4 = William George Cove
successor4 = Hywel Francis
birth_date = birth date and age|1931|11|05|df=y
birth_place = Aberystwyth, Wales
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = British
spouse =
party = Labour
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

John Morris, Baron Morris of Aberavon, KG, PC, QC (born 5 November 1931) is a retired British politician. He was a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) from 1959 to 2001 and Secretary of State for Wales from 1974 to 1979.

Background and education

Morris was born in Capel Bangor, Aberystwyth in the County of Ceredigion. He was educated at Ardwyn School, the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

Professional career

Morris was a barrister and was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn in 1954. He practised at 2 Bedford Row Chambers, took silk in 1973 and was made a Bencher of Gray's Inn in 1984. Between 1982 and 1997 Morris was a Recorder of the Crown Court.

Political career

He represented Aberavon as its Labour MP from 1959 and was the longest serving Welsh MP until his retirement in 2001, when he was succeeded by Hywel Francis.

He served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Transport, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence, Secretary of State for Wales between 5 March 1974 and 4 May 1979 and returned to Government as the Attorney General for England and Wales between 1997 and 1999. As such, he was one of only a small handful of Labour ministers to hold office under Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Tony Blair.

Honours

He was created a life peer as Baron Morris of Aberavon, of Aberavon in the County of West Glamorgan and of Ceredigion in the County of Dyfed, in 2001, made Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed a year later and created a Knight of the Order of the Garter in 2003.

Lord Morris of Aberavon has been Chancellor of the University of Glamorgan since 2002, succeeding fellow Labour politician Lord Merlyn-Rees. He is also President of the London Welsh Trust and a member of the Council of the Prince of Wales Trust (Wales).

External links

* [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/peer/lord_morris_of_aberavon They Work for You.com]

References

* [http://www.glam.ac.uk/profile/59/directorate Profile on the University of Glamorgan website]
* [http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page2615.asp Downing Street press notice September 2002]

Offices held