Z 1976.000 Morse (William Eugene) Papers

Z 1976.000
MORSE (WILLIAM EUGENE) PAPERS

William Eugene Morse, son of Joshua Marion and Annie McDonald Morse, was born in Newton, Mississippi, on December 1, 1891. He received a bachelor of science degree from Millsaps College in 1913 and a bachelor of laws degree from the University of Mississippi in 1915. He received further legal training at Columbia University in 1916.

Following his marriage to Annie Wilkinson in 1917, Morse began practicing law in Jackson, Mississippi. He later served as prosecuting attorney for the city of Jackson, as special judge for the Hinds County chancery and circuit courts, and as president of the Mississippi State Bar Association. Morse was also a member of the Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board. The Morses had four children: Ruth, William, Ann, and Dan.

Morse authored several legal works, as well as historical articles about Mississippi. His legal works include Morses Mississippi Annotated Form Book and Wills and Administration in Mississippi. Morses interest in history led him to write an article about Brierfield, the Warren County, Mississippi, plantation of Jefferson Davis. He also wrote an article about Judge William Hemingway that was published in the Journal of Mississippi History. Morse was serving as a member of the board of trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History at the time of his death on August 26, 1974.

This collection contains memoirs, correspondence, a photograph, and miscellaneous items of William Eugene Morse. In his memoirs, Morse discusses his early legal career and personal life. Among the correspondence are one letter from Senator James O. Eastland and one letter from Senator John C. Stennis. The Eastland letter alludes to the senators opposition to a proposal of President John F. Kennedy to strip the United States Supreme Court of its jurisdiction in tariff and trade matters. Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives Walter Sillers is also mentioned in connection with the controversy over the Kennedy proposal. The Stennis letter is a thank-you note. The remaining correspondence is addressed to Morse and his wife, Annie. It discusses daily life, the Reverend Walter Branham Capers, and Saint Andrews Episcopal Church clergy and events. There is also a photograph of William E. Morse as a child with his dog, Rover; a newspaper clipping entitled "Plain Gospel Story by Visiting Prelate"; and a calling card from the Reverend Walter Branham Capers, rector of Saint Andrews Episcopal Church.

1. Memoirs. 1970. 1 item.
2. Correspondence. 1936; 1939; 1941; 1962; 1964; 1969; n.d. 9 items.
3. Photograph. n.d. 1 item.
4. Miscellany. n.d. 2 items.