[citation needed] He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in political science from Washburn University in 1943.
[1] In 1942, while a student at Washburn, Morris was initiated into the Kansas Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta.
In 1972, Morris left Amerada Hess to serve as dean of the University of Tulsa College of Law from 1972 to 1974.
[citation needed] Morris was an adjunct professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law for over twenty years.
[citation needed] In 1983, he was chairman of the American Bar Association's Section of Natural Resources Law.
[citation needed] Morris was formerly a regent of the State of Oklahoma's high education system and is currently a trustee of the Sarkeys Foundation.
[citation needed] At Washburn Law School, The Honorable Joseph W. Morris Endowment Fund recognizes his service to the legal profession.