I will be interviewing Bill Morris, former Sheriff of Shelby County, TN from 1964 to 1970. During his tenure as sheriff, Morris was in charge of the custody of James Earl Ray. Ray admitted while in custody to the 1968 murder of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. However, Ray later claimed he was coerced into pleading guilty.
Morris was Mayor of Shelby County from 1978 to 1994. Morris was instrumental, along with park superintendent Tom Hill, in introducing a herd of bison to Shelby Farms.
In 1994, Morris campaigned for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Tennessee, placing second in the race to Phil Bresden.
Tennessee State Route 385 in Shelby County, which was originally Nonconnah Parkway, was renamed Bill Morris Parkway.
In his autobiography published in 2019, he talks about his extraordinary life including knowing Elvis Presley and his years of helping shape Memphis, TN.
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