Charles Bruce Morison KC (1861 – 6 January 1920), known by his first name and referred to as C. B. Morison in contemporary sources, was a New Zealand barrister and politician. He stood in two elections around the turn of the century in the Otaki electorate and was later active with the Reform Party.

Charles Morison
Morison in 1912
Born
Charles Bruce Morison

1861
Elgin, Moray, Scotland
Died6 January 1920(1920-01-06) (aged 58–59)
Wellington, New Zealand
Burial placeKarori Cemetery
Other namesC. B. Morison
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom, New Zealand
Occupation(s)Barrister, politician
Political partyReform Party
Spouse
Caroline Annie Haultain
(m. 1887)
RelativesTheodore Haultain (father-in-law)

Early life and political ambitions

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Morison was born in 1861 in Elgin, Scotland. His family emigrated to New Zealand when he was a boy. He received his education at Nelson College.[1]

Morison twice contested the Otaki electorate for conservative interests. In the 6 December 1899 election, he was defeated by the incumbent, Henry Augustus Field. Upon Field's death within days of the election, he contested the resulting by-election on 6 January 1900 and was beaten by Field's brother William.[2] In later years, Morison was one of the principal organisers of the Reform Party in Wellington.[3]

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Morison received his legal apprenticeship with Arthur Rigby Bunny, the second son of Henry Bunny.[1][4] After his admission to the bar, he practised at Woodville for a short time from 1885,[5] before moving to Wellington.[1] Arthur Atkinson joined him as a partner in 1892.[5] When that partnership dissolved, he partnered with C. A. Loughnan,[1] a brother of Robert Loughnan.[6] In 1896, they took over the practice of Worley Edwards upon his appointment to the Supreme Court.[1][7] Loughnan left the firm to become the city solicitor for Palmerston North and was replaced by his brother F. O. B. Loughnan. That partnership lasted until 1904, and for the following two years, Morison practised on his own. In 1906, he took G. McLean as a partner, and upon his partner's death in 1908, W. S. Smith joined him.[1] From 1912, David Smith worked for him as an assistant; Smith would later become a judge.[8]

Morison was appointed a King's Counsel in November 1912.[9] He specialised in company law and Māori land issues.[3] He wrote several books on legal matters, of which The Law of Limited Liability Companies in New Zealand (1904) and Rescission of Contracts (1916) are regarded as standard works.[1]

Family and death

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On 22 September 1887, Morison married Caroline Annie Haultain, the youngest daughter of Theodore Haultain.[10] They had two sons and two daughters.[1] Morison died on 6 January 1920 at his home at Aurora Terrace in Kelburn, Wellington.[1] His son Bruce died in Uganda in 1924.[11] His wife died in April 1939 in Wellington.[12] Charles and Caroline Annie Morison are buried at Karori Cemetery.[13][14]

Bibliography

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  • Morison, Charles Bruce (1888). The Licensing Laws of New Zealand: A Treatise on the Licensing Act, 1881, and Amendment Act, 1882, and the Decisions Thereon. Edwards & Company, Printers and Publishers.
  • Morison, Charles Bruce (1904). Morison's company law. Butterworths. ISBN 9780409646962.
  • Morison, Charles Bruce (1904). The Law of Limited Liability Companies in New Zealand: The Companies Act, 1903, and the Mining Companies Acts, 1894 to 1902, with Explanatory Notes and Forms. Gordon & Gotch.
  • Morison, Charles Bruce (1916). Rescission of Contracts: A Treatise on the Principles Governing the Rescission, Discharge, Avoidance and Dissolution of Contracts.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Mr. C.B. Morison, K.C." The Evening Post. Vol. XCIX, no. 6. 7 January 1920. p. 6. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  2. ^ Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. pp. 195f. OCLC 154283103.
  3. ^ a b "Obituary". Hawera & Normanby Star. Vol. LXXX. 7 January 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  4. ^ Cyclopedia of New Zealand 1897a, p. 938.
  5. ^ a b Cyclopedia of New Zealand 1897b, p. 477.
  6. ^ "Women's Corner". The Press. Vol. LIV. 29 January 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  7. ^ Brown, Bernard. "Worley Bassett Edwards". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  8. ^ Barton, G. P. "David Stanley Smith". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  9. ^ "King's Counsel". Auckland Star. Vol. XLIII, no. 267. 7 November 1912. p. 5. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  10. ^ "Marriage". Wairarapa Daily Times. Vol. IX, no. 2713. 30 September 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Obituary". The Press. Vol. LX, no. 18007. 26 February 1924. p. 10. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  12. ^ "Deaths". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXVII, no. 91. 19 April 1939. p. 1. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  13. ^ "Details". Wellington City Council. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  14. ^ "Details". Wellington City Council. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2015.

References

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