Biography of Walter D. Morris

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1898. Page 292.

	Scan and OCR by Joy Fisher, 1997. This file may be copied for non-profit 
	purposes. All other rights reserved. 


WALTER D. MORRIS, president of the Citizens National Bank, of 
Watertown, Codington county, is one of the most prominent citizens of 
that place, and one of the leading financiers of the eastern part of 
South Dakota. Mr. Morris was born in Chautauqua county, New York, April 
12, 1856, and is a son of Hon. Lorenzo and Fanny (Strong) Morris, 
natives of New York, and of Scotch and English descent respectively. 
His father was a lawyer by profession. When about fifteen years of age 
he settled in Chautauqua county, New York, and studied law at Mayville, 
the county seat, until admitted to the bar. He then opened an off ice 
at the same place and later at Jamestown, where he practiced for many 
years. He was at one time a state senator, and played a leading part in 
Chautauqua county politics, but is now living in retirement. Our 
subject was educated in the common schools of his native county and at 
the Fredonia (New York) Normal College. In 1 878 he went west and 
settled in Rochester, Minnesota, where he soon afterward became cashier 
of the Union National Bank. In 1 885 he left Rochester and went to 
Watertown, South Dakota, with the intention of establishing a bank 
there. He was successful in this, and the new institution was known as 
the Citizens National Bank. Mr. Morris was selected as cashier, and the 
capital stock was placed at $50,000. Since that time our subject has 
had full charge of the affairs of the bank, and has made it one of the 
largest and strongest financial concerns in South Dakota. He has at the 
same time greatly interested himself in the welfare of his chosen city, 
and has been among the foremost of Watertown's public spirited and 
liberal residents in furthering and aiding local projects of all kinds, 
and in bringing foreign -capital into the county and state. Mr. Morris 
is a man of means who has lost none of his popularity by accumulating 
wealth, for he is to-day as kind-hearted, sympathetic and unassuming as 
in the earlier days of his career, when he was wending his way along 
the much-traveled but, often forsaken, roadway to success. In politics 
he is a Democrat, but has had neither the time nor inclination to 
indulge actively in public affairs. He has served as a member of the 
school board, and was one of the directors for a number of years, 
always manifesting a lively interest in local educational matters.

	On the tenth of March, 1880, Mr. Morris married Miss Mary 
Archibald. Mrs. Morris is a native of Fredonia, New York, and a 
daughter of William B. and Amanda Archibald, of Fredonia. She is a 
graduate of the Normal school at that place. Mr. and Mrs. Morris are 
the parents of four children, Archibald, Lorenzo, Walter and Fannie.