James B. Morrison

James Brown Morrison (1846–1928) was an American soldier, politician, sheriff, and farmer, who served in the American Civil War and also played a role as a Red Shirt during the Reconstruction Era in Charleston, South Carolina, supporting Wade Hampton III as an anti-carpetbagger candidate for governor in the 1876 election.

James Brown Morrison Sr. was born to Richard Morrison II and Elizabeth Ann Venning(1817–1859), being just one of their many children.^[1] He joined the civil war in his early teenage years, and fought with the Army of Tennessee. He married his wife, Eliza Hibben Leland (1847–1922), in 1870, they would have 7 children together. His wife was a granddaughter of Rev. Aaron Leland and a distant descendant of John Leland. Morrison was a 4th great-grandson of John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1675–1732), who was a leader of the Jacobite rising of 1715. He was also a 3rd great-grandson of Daniel Legare, a representative to the South Carolina Provincial Congress.

At around 18 years old, Morrison joined the 19th South Carolina Infantry Regiment and went with them to join the Army of Tennessee, gathering in the Deep South.^[2] He served with them throughout the war seeing many battles including the Siege of Atlanta, the Battle of Nashville, and the Battle of Bentonville. He surrendered with his unit when the rest of his army surrendered at Bennett Place.^[3][4][5]

Following the war, Morrison became active in local South Carolina politics during the Reconstruction era.^[6] He aligned himself with the Red Shirts, a paramilitary group that opposed the republican rule of the state as well as the African American vote. This group supported Wade Hampton III for governor in the election that year, a man who Morrison's father, Richard Morrison II, served under as an officer during the Civil War. Morrison and his constituents were a part of local rifle clubs that participated in voter intimidation campaigns and efforts to suppress political participation and drive out Federal occupying troops. This occurred in and around Charleston, South Carolina during the South Carolina civil disturbances of 1876.^[7] After the 1876 riots, and the election of Wade Hampton III, a republican would not be governor of South Carolina until 90 years later.

Morrison's political career included serving in the South Carolina House of Representatives for Berkeley County 1888-1889. After that he served as Sheriff of Berkeley County 1891-1905, resigning at the end with several years still left on his term. As sheriff, he exercised substantial influence over local law enforcement and elections, overseeing measures that reinforced the Democratic Parties dominance and maintained systems of voter suppression in accordance with the political norms of the post-Reconstruction era. He was also involved with court case Gibbes v. Morrison, 39 S.C. 369, 17 S.E. 803 (S.C. 1893).^[8] Morrison returned to the South Carolina House of Representatives representing Charleston County twice. Throughout his political career, he remained affiliated with the Democratic Party, which, during this period, was the primary vehicle for conservative political power in South Carolina. He also was the originator of the state highway and other bills.^[9] He also worked at the South Carolina Constitutional Convention in 1895. He ran in the 1922 United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina but lost the primary.

He lived in McClellanville for the majority of his later years.^[10] His last public office was that of first Intendent of McClellanville which was their version of a de-facto Mayor, he served that role 1926-1927. He died in 1928 at the age of 82.

Morrison appears in the South Carolina Legislative Manual (1919 edition), which records his public service — including his tenure as sheriff of Berkeley County, his service in the state House of Representatives for Berkeley (1888–1889) and Charleston (1915–1916), and his participation in the 1895 South Carolina constitutional convention.^[11][12] His daughter Susan married John T. Hills, a Supervisor of Roads in Charleston County, South Carolina.