Herman Morse

Herman Earl Morse was born on 15 September 1949 near Avert, Missouri, the son of Leonard Earl Morse and Julia Ruth Day Wilson Morse. He was valedictorian of the Bloomfield High School Class of 1967 and studied at Southeast Missouri State University, earning a bachelor's degree in English Education with a minor in French.

He enlisted in the United States Air Force to further his language training and became a Mandarin linguist stationed in Taipei, Taiwan. After an honourable discharge at the end of the Vietnam War he returned to Southeast Missouri State, completing a master's degree in remedial reading, then a master's in counselling and a specialist degree in educational administration.

Morse worked for 27 years in the Dexter Public Schools as a teacher, counsellor, assistant principal and elementary school principal. He managed the Dexter Public Schools credit union for around 20 years, taught English as an adjunct instructor at Three Rivers College for 16 years and served five terms on the Dexter Board of Education. He was also a Church of Christ preacher for more than 48 years in Puxico and Essex.

After Representative Tila Hubrecht resigned in June 2017, the Republican 151st Legislative District Committee selected Morse as its candidate, and he won the special election on 7 November 2017. He was sworn in on 10 January 2018 and was re-elected in later elections, last in November 2022, serving until 8 January 2025, when he was succeeded by Steve Jordan. In the House he was vice chairman of the Veterans Committee and served on committees including Corrections and Public Institutions, Agriculture Policy, and Consent and House Procedures. His sponsored measures included a resolution celebrating Missouri's sister state relationship with Taiwan, a road use fee for electric vehicles and a grant programme for rural health care professionals.

Morse married Sharon Ann West and they were together for 55 years. After Sharon had a stroke in 2021 he became her primary caregiver. They had three children: Leonard Wayne, who died before him, Leonard Ethan and Erin. His family wrote that family meant everything to him and that he never missed an opportunity to brag about his children and grandchildren.

Herman Morse died on 3 November 2026, aged 77, after an ongoing illness, according to his obituary from Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter. Visitation and the funeral were arranged for 28 November 2026 at the funeral home, followed by burial at Walker Cemetery in Bloomfield. The family suggested memorials to the Bootheel Youth Camp and the Stars and Stripes Museum in Bloomfield.

Morse's life was built around service: to his country as a Vietnam era Air Force linguist, to generations of Dexter pupils as a teacher and principal, to his congregations as a preacher, and to Stoddard County and its neighbours as their state representative for seven years.