Ralph Morris was born and raised on a dairy farm outside of Dassel, Minnesota and continued to operate the family farm until his death on February 15, 2000. His roots and heart were in rural Minnesota, which ingrained in him the values that were the defining force in his life. Ralph had an unending passion for farmer-owned entities and rural development.

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Following graduation from Dassel High School, Ralph ventured east to attend Harvard University. He graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 1962 with a history degree and received a law degree from Stanford University in 1966. In 1962, Ralph married his high school sweetheart, Jarolynn (who was also raised on a farm outside Dassel), and together they raised three children — Christopher, Melissa, and Michael.

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Ralph began his legal career of representing farmers and cooperatives at Doherty Rumble & Butler in St. Paul where he practiced law for 33 years. In the fall of 1998, he moved his practice to Dorsey & Whitney where he was Chair of the Agricultural and Cooperatives Law practice group. Ralph devoted his legal career to providing legal services to agricultural and rural electric cooperatives throughout the United States. A nationally and internationally respected lawyer in the field, he wrote and lectured frequently on cooperative law and provided leadership and mentoring to his colleagues in this area. His passion for helping farmers and cooperatives was very evident in his determination, spirit, and the creative ways in which he addressed legal issues. Ralph had an innate ability to ‘see the big picture’ and to provide the practical counsel necessary to get the project completed — be it a reverse triangular merger, the formation of a common marketing agency, or the many issues that cooperatives face. Ralph had a significant impact on management, staff and Boards of Directors of various organizations that he counseled. Ralph also spent countless hours with legislative committees drafting laws affecting cooperatives.

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Ralph received many national awards for his legal work on behalf of cooperatives and farmers, including the ‘Minn-Dak Hall of Fame’ award and being named a ‘National Honored Cooperator’ by the National Cooperative Business Association. In April of 2002, the late Ralph K. Morris was inducted into the Cooperative Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C.

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He served on the Board of Directors of American Farmland Trust, a Washington-based organization devoted to preserving farmland and reducing urban sprawl. He also served as Chair of the Land Projects Committee for this organization.

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Ralph was an active member of the Legal, Tax & Accounting Committee of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives for many years. He was also a member of the National Cooperative Business Association, the National Society of Accountants for Cooperatives and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

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While Ralph’s many successes at the negotiating table and in the board room are legendary, he was first and foremost a quality person whose career and approach to business and the practice of law stressed loyalty, fairness, good humor, and cooperation. He will be sorely missed, but we hope to keep his spirit alive through the activities of the Ralph K. Morris Foundation.

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Ralph Morris dedicated his life to assisting farmers and cooperatives in their business ventures. His leadership, unusual vision, creativity, determination, and unending passion for his work made a huge impact on his clients, business associates, colleagues, family, and friends. The Foundation not only honors Ralph for his many outstanding contributions to farmers and cooperative associations, but perpetuates Ralph’s vision by investing its monies in the people of rural America.