[3] After working on the construction of the Erie Canal, he moved from Buffalo, New York, to Chicago in early 1833.

[5] He was elected the Cook County Coroner in August 1836,[3][6] having been nominated by the Democratic Party.

[3] A Whig, originally, Morrison became an early member of the Republican Party.

[3] He was married to the former Lucy Paul on April 7, 1836, in Aurora, Erie County, New York.

[5][11] When he died, he was survived by two daughters, Hannah Spofford and Lucy Mills, the latter of whom was married to congressman Daniel W.