Angela Morgan (''c.'' 1875 – January 24, 1957) was an American poet. Her given name at birth was Nina Lillian, which she later changed to Angela.
Life
Nina Lillian Morgan was born in about 1875, either in
Washington, D.C., or in
Yazoo County, Mississippi. Her father was
Albert T. Morgan
Albert Talmon Morgan (June 9, 1842April 15, 1922) was an American farmer and politician. During the Civil War he served as a Union Army officer in the famed Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac. A Republican, he was elected to office in Mis ...
, a Northern abolitionist who moved to
Yazoo City, Mississippi after the Civil War and became a state senator.
Her mother was Carrie Highgate, an "
Octoroon" member of a prominent family in
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
; her eldest sister was
Edmonia Highgate. Their
interracial marriage was considered scandalous in Reconstruction-era Mississippi by white racists.
Her family lived in Washington from 1876 to 1885, and then moved to
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...
, and later to
Topeka, Kansas. In 1890 her father left home to become a
gold prospector, and until 1898 Morgan earned money singing in a voice quartet with her three sisters. She married in 1900; the marriage was dissolved in 1906.
Morgan became a
journalist for the ''Chicago Daily American'', and later worked on the ''
New York American'' and on the ''
Boston American''. She reported on court cases, published interviews and wrote "human-interest" pieces. She said that her experiences as a reporter motivated and inspired her to social commentary in her poems.
Her first book of poetry, ''The Hour Has Struck'', was published in 1914, and in 1915 a poem appeared in ''
Collier's Weekly''. In the same year she was a delegate to the first
International Congress of Women at
The Hague, in the
Netherlands.
Between 1923 and 1926 she lived in London, England. While there, she gave a poetry reading for the
Poetry Society at the
Savoy Chapel; she was the first woman to be invited to do so.
Morgan had constant money troubles, and was declared
bankrupt in 1935. She moved frequently in later life, spending time in
Philadelphia, in
Rydal, Pennsylvania
Rydal is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Rydal is predominantly residential, except for one large shopping area. The Penn State Abington, Abington campus of Pen ...
, in
Brattleboro, Vermont, at Saugerties and at
Mount Marion
Mount Marion is a mountain located in the Catskill Mountains of New York north of Kingston. Mount Airy is located north-northeast, Overlook Mountain is located west-northwest, and Halihan Hill
Halihan Hill is a ridge located in the Catski ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, where on January 24, 1957, she died.
Awards
In 1942 Morgan received an honorary
doctorate from
Golden State University
Honolulu University of the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, or just Honolulu University, is an unaccredited institution of nontraditional higher education ( distance learning).
History
The institution was founded by Warren Walker as Golden State ...
, which at that time was in
Los Angeles.
Publications
*
The Hour Has Struck' (1914)
*
' (1916)
* ''Forward, March'' (1918)
* ''Hail, Man'' (1919)
References
Further reading
Angela Morgan* World Literature, R.D. Alcantara et al., Katha Publishing Co., 2000, p. 117
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Angela
Poets from New York (state)
1870s births
1957 deaths
International Congress of Women people