George Francis Morrison (1867–1943), was an American business executive, industrialist, Edison Pioneer, and a Director and Vice President of General Electric Company.
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George Francis Morrison was born on February 22, 1867 in Wellsville, New York. His father William Morrison was born in County Clare, Ireland and worked as a teamster. His mother Susan Maguire was also from Ireland. The Morrisons initially settled in Harrison, New Jersey after their immigration and it was there where George's three older sisters Elizabeth, Mary Ann, and Margaret were born. William moved the family to the Wellsville area sometime before George was born, due probably to the perceived fortunes promised by the nascent crude oil industry in western New York. After ten years and the marriages of Mary Ann and Elizabeth, the Morrisons returned to Harrison.
Morrison began his career in the summer of 1882 at Edison Lamp Works in Harrison when he was 15 years old. He was hired to unwrap and smooth tissue paper from incandescent light bulbs that arrived from the Corning Glass Works in Corning, New York so that they could be reused in packaging finished lamps. He was paid one and two-thirds cents per hour, equating to only one dollar per week if he worked sixty hours.[1] He continued to perform other basic tasks at the plant but did them very well, which did not go unnoticed and created opportunities for advancement. Morrison was soon after promoted to foreman of a small department, then foreman of a larger department, then the largest department, until he became the general foremen of the plant. He was promoted again to Plant Superintendent and then became the General Manager by 1903. [1] In January 1917, Morrison was elected Vice President of General Electric Company (GE) and in February 1918[2] he became one of the original members of the Association of Edison Pioneers[3]
Several innovations during this time, such as the development of tungsten filaments, allowed brighter and longer-lasting bulbs, with production steadily increasing through the years.[4] Morrison was instrumental in the expansion of GE's lamp business and took a leading role in establishing strong relationships with other lamp manufacturers, both domestically and abroad, which ultimately led to standardization within the industry. He was known for having good judgement and being able to see both sides of an issue and arrive to accurate conclusions. He never made an enemy throughout his career and became close personal friends with all of his business associates. It was his strong character and vibrant personality that afforded him such success in fostering quality relationships. In fact, his work in Japan was so beneficial to the lamp industry that the emperor placed upon him the Order of the Rising Sun.[5]
Morrison ensured the management and enforcement of GE's patents and traveled the world looking after the company's foreign interests. In addition to Japan, he visited China, England, and France on a number of occasions, and also sought permission from the United States Government in 1918 to visit Vladivostok, Russia, but was denied. On April 28, 1926 Morrison wrote to Gerard Swope, president of GE at the time, to bring attention to the early expiration of three vital patents covering the tungsten lamp, upon which GE's market share virtually completely rested. Morrison went on to acknowledge that cross-patent licensing agreements with Westinghouse, GE's largest lamp manufacturing competitor, was essential to prevent other competitors from gaining share of General Electric's markets.[6]
Morrison was also the chairman of the board of directors of the Sprague Electric Company and a director of the Intertype Corporation.[7] He served on the board of directors of both General Electric and International General Electric from 1922 to 1942 and was honorary Vice President at the time of his death in 1943.[8]
George and his wife Jennie had seven children, Blanche, Jennie, Flora, Beatrice, Georgina, George Jr., and Franklin. He assisted his brother-in-law John Graves, his sister Mary Ann's husband, in obtaining a trucking license in New Jersey after moving to Harrison from Wellsville. Graves eventually built a trucking business called Graves Trucking that maintained a number of large accounts, including that of RCA Corporation. George also did his best to secure jobs for his unemployed family members during the Great Depression. In one instance, he found his niece Dorothy Graves O'Brien a job at the Edison Lamp Works carrying trays of light bulbs from one work station to another.
Morrison was the uncle of western film legend George "Gabby" Hayes, the son of his older sister Elizabeth Morrison and Clark Hayes.
Morrison's daughter Georgina was the second wife of William C. Krueger, president of Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company and son of its founder, Gottfried Krueger. [9]
Morrison died on October 21, 1943 in his home in East Orange, New Jersey at the age of 76.[8][10]