George Stephen Morrison (January 7, 1919 – November 17, 2008) was aUnited States Navyrear admiral (upper half) andnaval aviator. Morrison held significant commands of United States naval forces during theVietnam War. He was the father ofJim Morrison, the lead singer ofthe Doors.

George Stephen Morrison
Nickname(s)	Steve
Born	(1919-01-07)January 7, 1919 Rome, Georgia, U.S.
Died	November 17, 2008(2008-11-17) (aged 89) Coronado, California, U.S.
Allegiance	United States
Service/ branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1941–1975
Rank	Rear Admiral
Commands	Naval Forces Marianas USS Bon Homme Richard
Battles / wars	World War II Battle of Pearl Harbor Korean War Vietnam War Battle of Haiphong Harbor
Awards	Navy Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal
Spouse(s)	Clara Virginia Clarke ​ ​ (m. 1942; died 2005)​
Children	3, includingJim

Born January 7, 1919, inRome, Georgia, Morrison was the son of Caroline (née Hoover; 1891–1984) and Paul Raymund Morrison (1886–1971), and raised inLeesburg, Florida.^[1] The Morrison family descended from Scottish settlers who emigrated to America in the late 18th century.^[2] Accordingly, Morrison said that his family was originally from theOuter Hebrides, and claimed direct descent fromRobert the Bruce.^[3] The family had also Irish ancestry, with roots tracing back toCounty Cork.^[4]

Morrison entered theU.S. Naval Academy in 1938, graduated in 1941, and was commissioned an ensign. Sent toHawaii, he joined the crew of thedestroyerUSS Pruitt.^[5] On December 7, 1941, Morrison witnessed the Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor.^[6]

Morrison began flight training in 1943 atNaval Air Station Pensacola,Florida, and graduated in spring 1944, and went on to fly combat missions in theGrumman F6F Hellcat.^[7] He flew missions in thePacific Theater for the duration ofWorld War II.^[5] He served as an instructor onnuclear weapons programs following the end of the war, while during theKorean War, he served at the joint operations center inSeoul. This resulted in the award of theBronze Star Medal with "V" for Valor device.^[6]

On November 22, 1963, Morrison took command of theEssex-classaircraft carrierUSS Bon Homme Richard, flagship of the First Fleet's FifthCarrier Division in the Pacific, based atSan Diego, California. His first act as the new skipper was to announce the death of President John F. Kennedy. The Fifth Carrier Division was transferred to the Seventh Fleet when sent to the Western Pacific early in 1964. In August of 1964 Morrison was in command of local American forces (including theUSS Maddox (DD-731)) from his flagship USS Bon Homme Richard making him directly in the chain of command during theGulf of Tonkin incident.

In 1967, Morrison was promoted torear admiral.^[6] In WestPac in 1968, he commanded a Task Group that was part of Task Force 77 commanded by Vice AdmiralRalph Cousins; theUSS Hancock served as his flagship. Besides operations against communist forces in North Vietnam, the task force was diverted to Korea in December 1968 to support South Korean forces battling North Korean infiltrators during theKorean DMZ Conflict. He successfully led the Task Force in the interdiction of communist North Korean forces in spite of attempts by Soviet Navy destroyers to prevent flight operations by attempting to cross the path of theHancock.^{[citation needed]} In 1972, he was appointedCommander Naval Forces Marianas.^[8] As such, he was in charge of relief efforts for Vietnamese refugees sent toGuam after thefall of Saigon in the spring of 1975.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}

Morrison was the keynote speaker at the decommissioning ceremony for the carrierBon Homme Richard, his first ship as an admiral, on July 2, 1971, inWashington D.C. His estranged son,rock musicianJim Morrison, died inParis at age 27 the following day.^[14]

Morrison retired from the Navy in August 1975 as arear admiral (upper half).^[9]

Morrison met and married Clara Virginia Clarke (1919–2005) in Hawaii in 1942. Their sonJim Morrison (lead singer of rock bandThe Doors) was born in 1943 inMelbourne, Florida, where they lived at the time while stationed atNaval Air Station Melbourne.^[5] A daughter, Anne Robin Morrison, was born in 1947 inAlbuquerque, New Mexico, and became a school teacher inThousand Oaks, California,^[15] and a son, Andrew Lee Morrison, was born in 1948 inLos Altos, California, and lives inAshburn, Virginia.^[14][16]

In retirement, the Morrisons lived inCoronado andChula Vista, California. Clara Clarke Morrison died after a long illness in Coronado on December 29, 2005. Rear Admiral Morrison died in Coronado on November 17, 2008, at the age of 89. His private memorial service was held on November 24 atFort Rosecrans National Cemetery inSan Diego. His ashes were scattered at sea near the same spot offPoint Loma where his wife's ashes had been scattered nearly three years earlier.

Morrison was a recipient of the following military decorations and service medals:

• Coronado Clarion – Remembering: Admiral George Stephen Morrison
• Together We Served – MORRISON, George Stephen, RADM

• Navy Deck Logs – Navy Deck Logs Available in the National Archives Catalog