James Bright Morgan (March 14, 1833 – June 18, 1892) 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

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. He was born near

Fayetteville, Tennessee Fayetteville is a city and the county seat of Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,994 at the 2000 census, and 6,827 at the 2010 census. A census estimate from 2018 showed 7,017. History Fayetteville is the largest cit ...

and moved with his parents to

De Soto County, Mississippi DeSoto County is a county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 161,252, making it the third-most populous county in Mississippi. Its county seat is Hernando. DeSoto Cou ...

in 1840, settling in Hernando. He received an academic education and studied law. Morgan was admitted to the bar in 1857, and practiced in Hernando. In 1857 he was elected probate judge of De Soto County and he served until 1861, the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. During the Civil War, Morgan enlisted in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

, initially as a private. He eventually received a commission and progressed through the ranks, becoming major of the Twenty-ninth Mississippi Infantry. He attained the rank of colonel before the end of the war; after he war he returned to his law practice and was once again elected probate judge of De Soto County. Morgan was elected to the

Mississippi State Senate The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, convenes at the Mississippi State Capitol ...

in 1876, and served until 1878 when he became Chancellor of the third chancery district, a post he held until 1882. He was then elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, and Fifty-first

Congresses A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

(March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891). After retiring from his political career he resumed the practice of law. He died near

Horn Lake, Mississippi Horn Lake is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is located south of Memphis, Tennessee. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Horn Lake was 26,066, up from 14,099 in 2000. Geography Horn Lake is bordered to the nort ...

on June 18, 1892, and was interred at Hernando Baptist Cemetery. Morgan died when he was shot while on board a train traveling to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

; his assailant was attorney Henry Foster. Morgan and Foster had been opposing counsel in a lawsuit shortly before Morgan's death, which led to an argument between Foster and Morgan's son; Morgan responded by administering a

caning Caning is a form of corporal punishment consisting of a number of hits (known as "strokes" or "cuts") with a single Stick-fighting, cane usually made of rattan, generally applied to the offender's bare or clothed buttocks (see spanking) or ha ...

to Foster. Foster retaliated by shooting Morgan. Foster was convicted at his first trial. After a successful appeal resulted in a retrial, he was acquitted in 1894.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, James Bright 1833 births 1892 deaths Confederate States Army officers Probate court judges in the United States Democratic Party Mississippi state senators Mississippi state court judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi 19th-century American politicians People from Hernando, Mississippi People from Fayetteville, Tennessee Deaths by firearm in Mississippi 19th-century American judges