Calvary Morris (January 15, 1798 – October 13, 1871) was an American politician and three term member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
from
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
from 1837 to 1843.
Early life and career
Born in
Charleston, Virginia
Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...
(now
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
), Morris attended the common schools. He moved to Ohio in 1819 and settled in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
. He was
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
of
Athens County
Athens County is a County (United States), county in southeastern Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 62,431. Its county seat is Athens, Ohio, Athens. The county was formed in 1805 from Washington County, ...
1823-1827.
He served as a member of the
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate.
The House of Representatives first met in ...
1827-1829. He served as a member of the
Ohio Senate
The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...
1829-1835, and was again a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1835 and 1836.
Congress
Morris was elected as a
Whig to the
Twenty-fifth,
Twenty-sixth, and
Twenty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843). He served as chairman of the
Committee on Invalid Pensions (Twenty-seventh Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1842.
Retirement and death
Retiring from politics, Morris engaged in wool growing. In 1847, he moved to
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, where he engaged in
mercantile
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
An early form of trade, barter, saw the direct exchan ...
pursuits. He later returned to Athens and in 1854 was elected
probate
Probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased, or whereby the estate is settled according to the laws of intestacy in the sta ...
judge of Athens County.
Calvary Morris died in
Athens, Ohio
Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of Ohio Universit ...
, on October 13, 1871, and was interred in Athens Cemetery.
He was a trustee of
Ohio University
Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...
from 1825 to 1848.
[ Walker 1869 : 347]
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Calvary
1798 births
1871 deaths
People from Athens, Ohio
Ohio sheriffs
Ohio state senators
Members of the Ohio House of Representatives
Ohio state court judges
Ohio University trustees
Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American judges
Politicians from Charleston, West Virginia