Curriculum Vitae
William Loutit Morison
1 July 1920 to 5 April 2000
Brisbane-born son of William Morison (merchant) and Estella Viles (school-teacher). Brother to Nevin, Grace, Reg and Donald (all deceased). Raised in Lindfield, NSW, and educated at North Sydney Boys' High School.
Entered University of Sydney, 1937. Graduated B.A., 1940, 1st Class Honours and University Medal in History, 1st Class Honours and University Medal in Philosophy. Graduated LL.B. 1944, 1st Class Honours. Prizes and Scholarships in each subject.
Articled 1941- 1944 to Sir Norman Cowper, partner in Messrs. Allen, Allen & Hemsley. Admitted to NSW Bar 1944.
In April 1944 discharged from RAAF aircrew training for appointment as Diplomatic Staff Cadet.
Left Department of External Affairs 1946 for appointment as Lecturer in Law in the University of Sydney.
Given leave during 1949 and 1950 to accept an Australian National University Scholarship for research in torts at Lincoln College, Oxford. Graduated D. Phil (Oxon) 1951.
Appointed Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Sydney, in 1951, Reader in 1953, Associate Professor in 1955 and Professor in 1959. Challis Professor of Law, 1982.
Given leave 1957-58, 1959-6, and 1965 to accept Senior Fellowships, Yale Law School. Fellow of Berkeley College, Yale in 1965.
Given leave 1968-70 for appointment as Law Reform Commissioner in the NSW Law Reform Commission. Commissioned by Commonwealth and State Attorneys-General to report on reform of the law of privacy in 1972. Reported 1973. Report implemented by the Privacy Committee Act 1975 (NSW).
Served as a member of the NSW Privacy Committee from 1976-82. Served as
Member of the Board of Governors of the College of Law (the legal practical
training course administered by the Law Society of NSW) from the foundation
of the College until 1983.
Also a member of the Board of the Sydney University Press from its
inception until 1983.
Member, Law Extension Committee of the Senate of the University of Sydney
until 1984.
Member, Post-Graduate Committee of the Department of Law, University of
Sydney.
Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science 1975 - 2000.
Visiting Fellow of the Research School of Social Sciences in the Australian National University 1976-77.
Sole author of two books:
- "The System of Law and Courts Governing New South Wales"
(1st edition published Sydney 1979, 2nd edition 1984 with foreword by Sir Laurence Street) and - "John Austin"
(1982 published London and Stanford, California)
At first sole editor and subsequently joint editor of "Cases on Torts" (1st edition Sydney 1955)
Author of chapters in the following books:
- Seminars on Evidence (Sydney
1970 ed Mr Justice H. H. Glass), - "Toward World Order and Human Dignity"
(New York 1976, ed W Michael Reisman and Burns H. Weston), - "Law and Society"
(London, 1978 ed. Eugene Kamenka, Robert Brown and A. E. S. Tay), - "The Structure and Process of International Law"
(The Hague 1983 ed. R. St. J. Macdonald and Douglas M. Johnston), - "Power and Policy in Quest of Law"
(The Hague 1985 ed. Myres S. McDougal and Michael W Reisman)
Articles in journals published in Australia, Canada, England and the US.
Joint General Editor of the Sydney Law Review from 1961 to 1972.
A philosopher and follower of John Anderson. Last writings were pieces for Heraclitus, newsletter of the Sydney Realists.
Married Mary Cork at Lindfield Methodist Church on 23 August 1947, their marriage spanning over 52 years.
Father to Donald (b. 1953), Neale (b. 1955) and Alethea (b. 1959).
Father-in-law to Joan, Julie and Neil.
'Panga' to Ben (b. 1982), Boronia (b. 1985), Phoebe (b. 1989), Alexander (b. 1996), Elizabeth (b. 1997) and Stella (b. 1999).
Moved from the first family home at Ryde to Northbridge in 1966 where he remained to the end of his life, cultivating his garden, mixing euphoria-inducing cocktails, tending the family hearth and delighting his family with humour, poetry and song.