Bruce Morrison
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Bruce Morrison | |
---|---|
Director of the Federal Housing Finance Board | |
In office 1995–2000 | |
President | Bill Clinton |
Preceded by | William C. Perkins |
Succeeded by | Allan I. Mendelowitz |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's 3rd district | |
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1991 | |
Preceded by | Lawrence J. DeNardis |
Succeeded by | Rosa DeLauro |
Personal details | |
Born | Bruce Andrew Morrison October 8, 1944 University of Illinois (MS) (JD)Yale University |
Bruce Andrew Morrison (born October 8, 1944) is an American attorney and former Congressman from
Education
Born in New York City, Morrison was adopted at a young age by George and Dorothea Morrison, who lived in Northport, Long Island. As a child, he attended public schools and graduated from Northport High School in 1962.[1]
Morrison attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and graduated in three years in 1965 with a degree in chemistry.
He received a master's degree in
Morrison received a J.D. from
Legal services career
In June 1973, Morrison became a staff attorney with New Haven Legal Assistance Association (LAA), one of the earliest programs to provide civil legal services to the poor. He was promoted to managing attorney a year late and became executive director in 1976. During his tenure at LAA, he was a mentor to many future litigators and judges. He was lead counsel in numerous successful class action cases based on federal Constitutional and statutory claims. He repeatedly argued in the Connecticut Appellate and Supreme Courts. He also lobbied on behalf of low income clients in the Connecticut legislature and helped draft landmark Landlord-Tenant reform legislation.
On a national level, Morrison was a leader of the Project Advisory Group representing the legal services programs from around the country. He advocated for these programs before the federal Legal Services Corporationa and the Congress, including the successful campaign that prevented the defunding of legal services proposed by President Ronald Reagan.
Member of Congress and campaign for Governor
In 1982, Morrison mounted a successful grass roots campaign for Congress in Connecticut's 3rd congressional district. He defeated the party-endorsed Democrat in a primary and then defeated Republican incumbent Larry DeNardis by 1,687 votes in the general election. After narrowly defeating DeNardis again in 1984, he won easy re-elections in 1986 and 1988.
Morrison was the first chairman of the Freshman Democratic Caucus of the 98th Congress. He was selected to serve on the
He served as chairman of the
The bill also included a provision that became known as the Morrison visa program. It allotted 40,000 visas each year for three years to countries that had been disadvantaged by the 1965 immigration legislation. Immigrants from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were allotted with 40% (16,000) of the visas.[3]
Morrison ran for governor of Connecticut in 1990. The incumbent Democratic Governor,
Clinton administration
In 1992, Morrison supported Bill Clinton's campaign by forming Irish Americans for Clinton-Gore, which recruited Clinton to support an activist agenda to assist in ending the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Clinton's pledges during the campaign became the basis of his work on the Irish Peace Process when in office. Morrison formed the Americans for a New Irish Agenda to support and encourage these efforts.
With Irish Voice publisher Niall O'Dowd, Morrison acted as a key intermediary between Gerry Adams, leader of the Sinn Féin party, the White House, and the Irish government led by Albert Reynolds. Morrison, O'Dowd, Bill Flynn (former CEO of Mutual of America Insurance Co.), Philanthropist Chuck Feeney, and Joe Jamison and Bill Lenahan of the Irish American Labor Coalition were crucial in paving the way for Adams's controversial visa into the U.S. in February 1994 to address the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and for the Provisional Irish Republican Army's (IRA) ceasefire declaration of August 1994. Morrison continued to play an active role in the Peace Process throughout the 1990s and conducted negotiations leading to the renewed IRA ceasefire in 1997. Morrison's role in the peace process is detailed in the 2016 book Peacerunner written by Penn Rhodeen.[4]
In 1995, he was appointed by President Bill Clinton to be the director of the Federal Housing Finance Board, an independent agency regulating the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks, a wholesale banking system with assets then in excess of $600 billion.
His work included the successful advocacy of the passage of the Federal Home Loan Bank Modernization Act of 1999, a bi-partisan effort which provided for new powers for the Banks, devolution of management, and a modern risk-based capital structure. Under Morrison's leadership, the Finance Board also provided the Banks with new business opportunities in housing finance and economic development through pilot programs and regulatory innovations. These changes were implemented through a regulatory agenda in the first six months of 2000.
2001 to present
After leaving the Finance Board in July 2000, he founded the Morrison Public Affairs Group (MPAG), a Bethesda, Maryland-based lobbying firm. The firm specializes in financial services, housing finance, and immigration policy. Morrison also conducts an immigration law practice.
Morrison has remained active in Irish-American organizing and advocacy. He represented the Irish community on the National Democratic Ethnic Coordinating Committee, an official committee of the Democratic National Committee. He served as one of three Co-Convenors of the Council. In that role, he was a superdelegate at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, where he supported Hillary Clinton. He supported Representative Keith Ellison in his bid for DNC chairman.
In 2008, Morrison appeared at the
In 2019, Morrison alongside a number of other Irish American political and civil society figures founded the bipartisan Ad Hoc Committee to Protect the Good Friday Agreement. He currently serves as co-chair of the committee alongside fellow co-chair, Republican James Walsh.[6]
He resides with his family in Bethesda, Maryland.
Election results
Congressional elections
Year | Results |
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1982 | Morrison 50% (D), DeNardis 49% (R), Fischman <1% ( CPUSA )
|
1984 | Morrison 52% (D), DeNardis 47% (R), Fischman <1% (CPUSA) |
1986 | Morrison 70% (D), Ernest J. Diette, Jr. 30% (R) |
1988 | Morrison 66% (D), Gerard B. Patton 34% (R) |
Gubernatorial election
Year | Results |
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1990 | Weicker 40% (A Connecticut Party), Rowland 38% (R), Morrison 20% (D), Independents 2% |
References
- ^ "MORRISON, Bruce Andrew, (1944 - )". Biography Directory of the U.S. Congress. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
- ^ "Are H-1B visas being "hijacked" to lower labor costs?". CBS News. March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
- ^ Speaker profile: Bruce Morrison Archived January 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine US Ireland Forum. Retrieved: 2012-12-05.
- ISBN 978-1941631713.
- ^ "NUIG Hosts US election debate." Galway Independent. October 15, 2008. "Galway Independent - Offline". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ^ "US group says UK's NI Protocol Bill "destabilizes the Good Friday Agreement"". Irish Central. 17 June 2022.