William Morrison , 1st Viscount Dunrossil William Shepherd Morrison , 1st Viscount Dunrossil , GCMG , MC , KStJ , PC , QC ( 10 August 1893 – 3 February 1961 ) , the 14th Governor - General of Australia , was born in Scotland and educated at George Watson ' s College and the University of Edinburgh . He joined the British Army in the First World War and served with an artillery regiment in France , where he won the Military Cross . In 1919 he left the Army with the rank of Captain . He was elected to the House of Commons as Conservative Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Cirencester and Tewkesbury in 1929 . In Parliament he acquired the nickname " Shakes " , from his habit of quoting from the works of William Shakespeare . Ministerial career . Morrison had a long ministerial career under four Prime Ministers ( Ramsay MacDonald , Stanley Baldwin , Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill ) . He was : Political life . Campaigning during the general election of 1945 , Morrison attacked Socialism and contended that Hitler and Mussolini began as Socialists . He further claimed that although Labour objected to the Conservatives calling themselves ' National ' , the Conservatives had no objection in their opponents labelling themselves National - Socialists . In 1947 he attacked identity card s which had been introduced during the war because he believed they were a nuisance to law - abiding people and also because the cards were ineffective . In 1951 , when the Conservatives returned to power , Morrison was elected Speaker of the House of Commons . He was opposed by Labour MP Major James Milner , who said it was his party ' s turn to have a Speaker of the House . It was the first contested election for the post in the twentieth century . Morrison was elected in a vote on party lines . Governor - General of Australia . Morrison held the post of Speaker until 1959 , when he announced that he would not be contesting the forthcoming general election but retiring for reasons of health . As was customary for former Speakers , he was made a Viscount , taking the title Viscount Dunrossil , of Vallaquie in the Isle of North Uist and County of Inverness . Given his health , it surprised many when it was announced shortly thereafter that he had been chosen to succeed Sir William Slim as Governor - General of Australia . He was also appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George ( GCMG ) that year . By this time support for the idea of British governors - general was declining in Australia , but the Liberal Prime Minister , Robert Menzies , was determined to maintain the British link ( and , in particular , the Scottish link ) . End of life . Dunrossil took office on 2 February 1960 . However he died suddenly in Canberra only a year later ( almost to the very day ) , on 3 February 1961 . He was buried in Canberra at historic St John the Baptist Church , Reid and remains the only Australian governor - general to die in office . His Official Secretary throughout his term was Murray Tyrrell . The 1st Viscount was succeeded by his son , John Morrison , 2nd Viscount Dunrossil , who was a career officer in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office , holding several senior diplomatic appointments , including serving as Governor of Bermuda . He was proud to wear his father ' s vice - regal hat on formal occasions on the island colony .