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North Carolina's Governors
In the 1890s, as a leader of the "Red Shirts," Morrison promoted white supremacy with tactics that included harassment of and threats of violence against blacks. With the support of U.S. Senator Furnifold Simmons, Morrison won the Democratic nomination for governor in 1920, besting O. Max Gardner. In the fall he defeated Republican John J. Parker by a wide margin. Morrison devoted almost half of his inaugural address to highways. With his backing, the 1921 legislature enacted an act providing for a $50 million bond issue. Financed by receipts from automobile and gasoline taxes, the bonds funded construction of 5,500 miles of hard-surface roads. The fiscal daring shocked conservatives, who warned that the plan would bankrupt the state. On the governor's recommendation, the legislature funded $20 million in bonds for higher education and charitable institutions. Despite his earlier history, Morrison sought to improve race relations and all but ended lynching in the state. Morrison was a traditionalist on social issues, endorsing Prohibition and opposing the teaching of evolution. In 1930 Governor O. Max Gardner appointed Morrison to fill an unexpired U.S. Senate term. Two years later, Robert Reynolds defeated Morrison in his bid for a full term in a campaign where the political novice ridiculed the veteran for his wealth acquired through marriage. Morrison died while on vacation in Quebec in August 1953, and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Charlotte.
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Cameron Morrison (1869-1953) is best remembered for highway improvements. The "Good Roads Governor" was born in Richmond County. He did not attend college but in 1892 attended the Dick and Dillard law school in Greensboro. The same year he passed the bar and returned to Rockingham to practice. In 1905 he moved his practice to Charlotte. While governor, Morrison, a widower, married Sarah Watts, widow of Durham financier George Washington Watts.
