Dick Thompson Morgan (December 6, 1853 – July 4, 1920) was a

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

Early life and education

Born at

Prairie Creek, Indiana Prairie Creek (also Middletown) is an unincorporated community in southeastern Prairie Creek Township, Vigo County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Its elevation is 528 feet (161 m), and it is located at (39.2750390, -87.4972443). Beca ...

, a few miles southwest of

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

, Morgan attended the country schools and the Prairie Creek High School. In 1876 he received a bachelor's degree and in 1878 a master's degree both from Union Christian College,

Merom, Indiana Merom is a town in Gill Township, Sullivan County, Indiana, United States. The population was 228 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area. Nearby is Hallador Energy's Merom Generating Station. History The ...

. He became a professor of mathematics in that college. He then graduated from Central Law School,

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, in 1880.

Career

Morgan was admitted to the bar in 1880 and commenced practice in

. Morgan served as member of the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

in 1880 and 1881. He was appointed register of the United States land office at Woodward in

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as th ...

, by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

in 1904 and served until May 1, 1908. Morgan was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Sixty-first and to the five succeeding Congresses. Beginning on March 3, 1909, he represented the 2nd district. In 1915, after redistricting due to the 1910 Census, he represented the 8th congressional district until his unexpected death in 1920. He was once known as the "father of the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...

." Morgan introduced the first bill to establish such a commission on January 12, 1912, made the first speech on the House floor urging its adoption on February 21, 1912 and reintroduced a slightly amended version of the bill in 1913. He was a member of the Claims, Railways and Canals, Expenditures in the Treasury Department, Public Lands, and Judiciary committees. Morgan also became an expert on Rural Credits, sponsoring the 1916 rural credits law that created the federal land bank system.

Personal life and death

In 1878 he married Ora Heath. Their son, Porter Heath Morgan, was born in 1880. On July 4, 1920, Morgan died of pneumonia in

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

, while returning from Washington, D.C. to Oklahoma. Dick Thompson Morgan is interred in Rose Hill Burial Park in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

Publications

*''Morgan's Digest of Oklahoma Statutes and Supreme Court Decisions'' (1897) *''Morgan's Manual of the United States Homestead, Township, and Mining Laws'' (1900) *''Morgan's School Land Manual'' (1901) *''Land Credits: A Plea for the American Farmer'' (1915) * Served as President and Treasurer of the Western Investment Co. (

El Reno, Oklahoma El Reno is a city in and county seat of Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 16,989, marking a change of 1.55% from 16,729, recorded in the 2010 census. The city was begun shortly after the 1 ...

1901-1904), the publisher of the periodical ''Oklahoma Real Estate Register''.

References

Dick T. Morgan Collection
at the

Carl Albert Center The Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center is a nonpartisan institution devoted to teaching and research related to the United States Congress and, more broadly, to strengthening representative democracy through engaged and infor ...

Dick T. Morgan, late a representative from Oklahoma, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1922
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Dick Thompson 1853 births 1920 deaths People from Vigo County, Indiana American people of Welsh descent Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma

Early life and education

Career

Personal life and death

Publications

See also

References