Frank B. Morrison

Frank Brenner Morrison (May 20, 1905–April 19, 2004) served as the Governor of the U.S. state of Nebraska from 1961 to 1967, representing the Democratic Party. He also ran for United States Senate in 1958, 1966 and 1970 but lost all three elections. He lost to Roman L. Hruska in 1958 and 1970 while in 1966 he lost to Carl T. Curtis. He also ran for the U.S. House of Representatives twice in 1948 and 1954. He had previously served as the chair of Frontier Country Democratic Party.

Biography

Morrison was born in Golden, Colorado, and attended high school in Manhattan, Kansas. He died in 2004 of cancer in the McCook Community Hospital, McCook, Nebraska, one month short of his 99th birthday. His son, Frank B. Morrison, Jr. (1937 - 2006) was a justice on the Montana Supreme Court. His grandson, John Morrison, is the current State Auditor of Montana and was a 2006 Senate candidate.

Frank Morrison was the driving force behind the construction of The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument in Kearney, Nebraska. A bust of his face can be seen at the entrance to the monument. The Great Platte River Road Archway Monument gained fame by being featured in the movie About Schmidt with Jack Nicholson.

Frank Morrison wrote an autobiography, "My Journey Through the Twentieth Century" in 2001. Politically, he was a traditional Democrat who fought for the poor and disenfranchised. He was a confidant of both Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy, and was summoned to the White House immediately after JFK was assassinated.