John Morrison (Montana politician)

For other people named John Morrison, see John Morrison (disambiguation).

John Morrison (born 1961) was elected as state Auditor in Montana in November 2000, and re-elected in 2004. In April 2005, he became the first person to announce a candidacy in the Democratic primary for the 2006 US Senate election for the seat which was then held by Republican Conrad Burns.

Biography

Morrison grew up in the railroad and timber town of Whitefish, Montana. His father was a small town lawyer and his mother, a substitute teacher and speech therapist. His grandfather was Frank B. Morrison, Governor of Nebraska (1961-67).

When Morrison was in high school, his family moved to Missoula and he graduated from Hellgate High School. Morrison received his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where he excelled in academics, sports, debate and student leadership. After graduating in 1983, Morrison entered the University of Denver Law School, where he served as an associate law review editor and was a finalist at the National Trial Competition.

Morrison has written numerous legal articles and a book, Mavericks, The Lives and Battles of Montana Political Legends. During college he worked as a construction laborer and radio announcer and had his own landscaping business.

Legal career

From 1987-1988, Morrison worked in Washington, D.C. as a legislative aide and legal counsel to Montana's Senator John Melcher and the Senate Agriculture Committee, helping write the Farm Credit Act of 1987, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.

Returning to Montana, Morrison spent the next thirteen years practicing law in Helena. He represented the state in its Medicare reimbursement case against tobacco companies, represented The New York Times, NBC and other media organizations in the famous Unabomber case, and handled dozens of complex insurance cases in both state and federal trial and appellate courts. Morrison was a partner in a small law firm and he taught widely at legal seminars and as a guest lecturer at the University of Montana Law School.

Auditor’s Office

Morrison’s current position as State Auditor includes the title and duties of Commissioner of Insurance and Securities. Morrison promoted an initiative to increase the state tax on tobacco, which was enacted and which provided a substantial increase in the state general fund. He then developed and presented to the legislature a program called "Insure Montana," to offer tax credits to small businesses that provide health insurance for their employees. The program, enacted by the legislature, also allows small businesses to pool for the purpose of negotiating more favorable insurance premiums.

As securities commissioner, Morrison successfully prosecuted the largest securities fraud case in the state’s history, recovering nearly $1.5 million for the victims of the fraud and over $1 million in fines.

On a national level, Morrison serves as chairman of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Health Insurance and Managed Care Committee. Prior to being named chairman, he served as co-chairman of the Consumer Protection Working Group. In that position, he worked to address legal issues arising from the World Trade Center attack.

Morrison was selected in 2003 by the Democratic Leadership Council as one of 100 New Democrats to Watch. He was one of 10 public officials chosen by the national group for closer attention.

2006 U.S. Senate candidacy

Main article: Montana United States Senate election, 2006

Morrison started off strong in the race for the Democratic nomination for Senator, collecting $1.05 million as of the start of 2006, including $409,241 in the last three months of 2005. Morrison’s advantages in fundraising and name identification did not translate into a lead in the polls. at least in part due to newspaper stories about a past affair that led many to question his effectiveness to challenge Senator Conrad Burns on his weakest point, ethics. In late May, the race was called a "deadlock," but Morrison's main opponent, Jon Tester continued to gather momentum.

On May 31, 2006, Paul Richards, citing the closeness of the race, and his own position (third) in the polls, withdrew from the race and threw his support to Tester.

Tester won the June 6, 2006 primary with 65,531 votes (61%) compared to Morrison's 38,246 (35%).

Conflict of interest question

In April 2006, several Montana newspapers published articles about an affair Morrison had in the late 1990s, and later, possibly related events. Around the beginning of 2002, Morrison's office had begun an investigation of David Tacke, the fiance of Morrison's former lover, Suzanne Harding. About a year into the investigation, in early 2003, Morrison hired an outside attorney, a former state deputy attorney general, to handle the case against Tacke and his companies. The investigation resulted in the issuance of a cease-and-desist order against Tacke, after which he never again sold securities. A final settlement, entered into July 30, 2003, was signed by the deputy auditor, Chief Legal Counsel, and outside counsel. It was left open to allow reimbursement of investors if funds from the business became available to do so. In January 2005, federal prosecutors indicted Tacke on federal charges of mail and wire fraud, along with 10 counts of money laundering.

The Missoula Independent was particularly critical of Morrison. It said that "In contrast to the auditor's lax prosecution of Tacke — and failure to recover any money for Montana investors in the process — the U.S. Attorney’s office put Tacke away for nine years on essentially the same charges. That disparity raises the question of whether Morrison put personal interest in the way of his public duty." However, under Montana law, Morrison, as securities commissioner, had no authority to prosecute a criminal matter directly, but had to refer any evidence of criminal violations to federal prosecutors, the state attorney general or a local prosecuting attorney.

External links

• Montana State Auditor's homepage