Obituary of Fred L. Morrison

Fred L. Morrison passed away on August 16th at the age of 84.  He was born in Salina, Kansas, the only child of Earl F. Morrison and M. Louise Morrison (Glass).  He is survived by his wife of nearly 53 years Charlotte (Foot), their sons and daughters-in-law Charles and April Morrison, Theodore and Wendy Morrison, George and Heather Morrison,  David and Trina Morrison, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Fred is remembered as an engaging, soft spoken family man, dedicated to his wife Charlotte and their children.   He was involved with and supportive of his four sons and later daughters-in-law and grandchildren.  He was always ready to listen with patience, provide wisdom or wit where helpful, and assistance when needed.   He engaged in a wide range of family activities, from coordinating pinewood derbies with the local cub scout pack, to carting four sons with different schedules around to sailing classes, tennis tournaments, swim lessons and camps to ultimately facilitating the complex logistics of helping his grown children, their spouses, and their children come together at the family's summer retreat in Boothbay Harbor, Maine--a place where he could rest from all his many endeavors elsewhere.

He graduated from high school in Colby, Kansas in 1957, and proceeded to the University of Kansas, receiving an A.B. degree in Mathematics, German, and Political Science in 1961.  There he won a Rhodes Scholarship, and studied at Oxford University, receiving B.A. and M.A. degrees in 1963.  He continued his studies back in the United States, receiving M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Political Science from Princeton University in 1966 and a J.D. degree from the University of Chicago in 1967.

After teaching law at the University of Iowa for two years, he joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota Law School.  There he taught constitutional law, international law, local government, and comparative law in a teaching career that spanned more than 50 years and many thousands of students, and included two periods of service as acting Dean of the Law School.  In addition to his role as a teacher of law, he served the University at large on multiple faculty committees.  He was instrumental in developing the Law School's LLM and SJD degrees and developing its visiting scholars program.

He applied his talents outside the University as well, serving as visiting faculty at the University of Bonn and the University of Kiel, both in Germany, and Tsinghua University, People's Republic of China.  He served as Counselor for International Law at the US Department of State, and helped represent the United States before the International Court in The Hague, Netherlands.  He served on or participated in multiple other committees and organizations, including the Board of Curators of the Max Planck Institute on Foreign Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany; the International Advisory Board of the Walther Schücking Institute of International Law at the Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany; a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Ritsumeikan Law Faculty in Kyoto, Japan; and the International Advisory Committee of Frontiers of Law in China. He also served as a Director of the American Society for the Comparative Study of Law and was an elected member of the American Law Institute and the American Society of International Law.  He was involved in the process of creating the constitutions of Kosovo and South Sudan as they moved towards independence.

Throughout his life, Fred was an avid traveler, having visited all 7 continents in the course of his professional travels and in personal excursions together with Charlotte.  Over the years he accumulated more than 1 million frequent-flyer miles, and would often amaze his fellow travelers with his seemingly comprehensive familiarity with destinations he had last visited years--or even decades--earlier.  His travels now take him on an eternal journey beyond the confines of this world.  He will be greatly missed.

A Memorial Service is planned for Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 10am, with refreshments and conversation to follow.

St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral

519 Oak Grove St.

Minneapolis, MN 55403