HISTORY: William T. Morris
William
Thomas Morris was born in West Pittston,
Pennsylvania on July 20, 1884. He was the son of
Thomas J. and Jane (Reese) Morris, and was one of
nine children born from that union. His father,
Thomas J. Morris, who was regarded as a very
religious man and a great student of the Bible, was
born in 1839 in Wales and emigrated from that
country to the United States in 1864, where he first
settled in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
His entire lifetime was spent in the coal
business. His mother, Jane Reese Morris, was born in
Eckley, Pennsylvania on June 4, 1849, and married
Thomas J. Morris in Scranton on June 16, 1866.
In 1899, despite the objections of his parents,
William Thomas Morris at the age of fifteen opened
up a restaurant in West Pittston in partnership with
his brother, which venture proved unsuccessful. Mr.
Morris spent the next four years doing various jobs
such as coal mining, clerk in hotel, oil business,
etc.
In 1903, he arrived in New York City and
shortly after his arrival accepted employment with
the Weed Chain Tire Grip Company, then located at 28
Moore Street, New York City. The Weed Company, Inc.,
which was later changed to the American Chain
Company, Inc., which was later changed to the American Chain & Cable Company, Inc., of which Mr.
Morris was President.
In 1919, at age thirty-five, Mr. Morris was
elected Vice President and General Manager of the
American Chain Company, Inc., and in May 1936, was
elected President of American Chain & Cable Company,
Inc., which position he held to the date of his
death in February 1946.
Photo: American Chain & Cable Company,
East Princess Street (400 Block), York, PA -
Courtesy of Library of Congress
In addition to the American Chain & Cable Company, Inc., Mr. Morris was an officer and director of the following companies, and was actively engaged in the management of said companies:
- UNITED STATES: The American Fabrics Company, Bridgeport, CT, Centennial Development Company, Inc., Jersey City, N.J., Michigan Chemical Corporation, St. Louis, MI, The William T. Morris Foundation Inc., 230 Park Ave, New York, NY, Pennsylvania Woven Wire Company, Lock Haven, PA, Sormir Petroleum Corporation, 230 Park Ave., NY, NY, Annapolis Yacht Yards, Inc., Annapolis, MD
- ENGLAND: British Wire Product, Limited Stourport-on-Seven, Worcestershire, England Parsons Chain Company, Limited
- CANADA: Dominion Chain Company, Limited Niagara Falls, Canada
Since Mr. Morris possessed an exceedingly
charitable nature and was imbued with high
humanitarian principles, he felt that he wanted to
share with his less fortunate fellowmen some of the
fruits of his outstanding success in the industrial
world. After a great deal of deliberation, he
decided in 1937 to form The William T. Morris
Foundation, Inc. to carry on religious, charitable,
scientific, literary and educational activities.
In 1941, at the outbreak of the war between the
United States and the Axis, Mr. Morris decided he
wished to become interested in an industry directly
connected with the war's effort. From a patriotic
standpoint, he wished to contribute materially to
further the interests of our country and its Allies.
He, thereupon, became interested in the Annapolis
Yacht Yard, Inc., Annapolis, Maryland, which company
received contracts to build fifty Vosper PT or
Mosquito Boats for the English Navy and also the
Russian Navy under the Lease-Lend program. The great
majority of these boats are believed to have seen
combat duty. Besides constructing these vessels, the
company was the design agent and acted as the agent
of the United States Government in its program to
fabricate these boats in three other Yards in this
country. This entailed buying of the spare parts for
this program and supervising the procurement of the
Government-furnished material. In addition, this
company built and delivered twelve Submarine Chasers
to the United States Navy.
The success of
Annapolis Yacht Yard, Inc., in building and
delivering in the shortest time possible, vessels
for use by our Allies and our own Navy, can
attributed primarily to Mr. Morris' executive genius
and financial assistance. He devoted much of his
time (approximately two days a week) to the company
for a period of over three years, this without any
personal remuneration or thought of benefit of
himself. His only object was to assist his country
and its Allies in bringing the conflict to a
successful conclusion.
Since his untimely death in February 1946, The Foundation has expanded considerably, but still carries out the basic charitable concepts established by Mr. Morris.
The Foundation no longer has any connection with American Chain & Cable, Inc. or its successors.