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Morris, William
William Morris, businessman, politician (b at Paisley, Scot 31 Oct 1786; d at Montréal 29 June 1858). Elected to the legislative assembly of Upper Canada (Ontario) in 1820 and raised to the legislative council in 1835, Morris was a leading conservative whose political championship of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, which he helped found in 1831, made him a bitter opponent of John STRACHAN and his followers. He fought successfully on behalf of his church for a share of the CLERGY RESERVES and was instrumental in the establishment of Queen's College (Queen's University) in 1841 as a rival to the Anglican-dominated King's College (the University of Toronto). A supporter of Governor General METCALFE in the crisis of 1843, Morris served as receiver general (1844-47) and president of the executive council (1846-48) before ill health forced his withdrawal from politics.
