Jacob Haight Morrison

Jacob Haight Morrison, IV (March 12, 1905 – December 4, 1974), was an attorney, journalist, author, and historical preservationist from New Orleans, Louisiana. He helped preserve the Vieux Carré or French Quarter, which has been designated as a National Historic District, and published a pioneer textbook on historic preservation law.

He was born into a political family: his father was district attorney of Pointe Coupee Parish, and his half-brother deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr. later was elected as Mayor of New Orleans. Chep's son DeLesseps Story "Toni" Morrison, Jr. was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Early life, education, and marriage

Morrison was born in 1905 in New Roads, the seat of Pointe Coupee Parish (pronounced COO PEA), to the former Eloise Yancy (1876–1905) of Jonesville in Catahoula Parish, who died the same year as her son's birth. His father, Jacob Haight Morrison, III (1875–1929), was the district attorney of Pointe Coupee Parish. He married again, to Anita Olivier, a New Orleans socialite; they had a son, deLesseps Story "Chep" Morrison, Sr. Anita became a stepmother to the boy Jacob. His half-brother "Chep" became an attorney and politician and was elected as Mayor of New Orleans. He ran unsuccessfully for governor of Louisiana on three occasions.

Morrison, IV, was educated in public schools, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He received his law degree from the Tulane University Law School in New Orleans.

On July 4, 1938, Morrison married Mary Meek (February 2, 1911 - February 26, 1999) of McComb, Mississippi. The couple had no children.

Career

Before entering his law practice, Jacob Morrison reported on Louisiana State University sports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune and was sports editor of the former Baton Rouge State Times. His two law partners were his half-brother "Chep" Morrison and Thomas Hale Boggs, Sr., a future U.S. Representative from New Orleans.

Morrison was elected as a member of the Louisiana State Board of Education in the late 1930s. He served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. He resumed his law practice after the war.

Morrison led preservation of the Vieux Carre or French Quarter during the 1940s through his presidency of the Vieux Carre Property Owners and Association, Inc. He worked to find ways to support preservation through existing and new legislation, to provide incentives for owners to maintain properties. In 1957, he published his pioneer law textbook on preservation, Historic Preservation Law. He was a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Morrison was a member of the local, state, and national bar associations; Phi Delta Phi national legal fraternity, Sigma Delta Chi society of journalists, and the Roman Catholic Church.

Jacob Morrison died in New Orleans. He and his wife are interred at Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans.

Legacy and honors

• The French Quarter has received protection as a National Historic District, as have other significant areas of New Orleans.
• 1974, two months before his death, Morrison and his wife received the Louise DuPont Crownshield Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, for their outstanding work.

References

Further reading

• "Jacob Haight Morrison, IV obituary," New Orleans Times-Picayune, December 5, 1974
• Judy Riffel, ed., A History of Pointe Coupee Parish and Its Families (1983)
• "Jacob Haight Morrison", SSDI, at Ancestry.com