John Hamilton Morgan (August 8, 1842 – August 14, 1894), was an early educator in

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state. ...

, an official of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church), and a politician.

Biography

Morgan was born in Greensburg, Decatur County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, and served as a sergeant in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in the

123rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 123rd Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was an infantry and mounted infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In 1863 and 1864 it was temporarily known as the 123rd Illinois Volunteer Mounted Infantry R ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. After the war he enrolled in Eastman's Commercial College in

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

. After graduation, he traveled to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

on business, and decided to permanently relocate there. In 1867 Morgan established the Morgan Commercial College in Salt Lake City, where he tapped a strong interest in business education. He moved the school into larger accommodations several times as enrollment increased. The college provided a number of innovations, including Utah's first free public library, and the first school run by a non-Mormon. The college taught many students that would later rise to prominence in Utah, including

Heber J. Grant Heber Jeddy Grant (November 22, 1856 – May 14, 1945) was an American religious leader who served as the seventh president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Grant worked as a bookkeeper and a cashier, then wa ...

Orson F. Whitney Orson Ferguson Whitney (1 July 1855 – 16 May 1931), born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1906 until his death. Early life ...

Matthias F. Cowley Matthias Foss Cowley (August 25, 1858 – June 16, 1940) was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1897 until 1905. He resigned from the Quorum of the Twelve due to his u ...

, and

J. Golden Kimball Jonathan Golden Kimball (June 9, 1853 – September 2, 1938) was a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), serving as a member of the Seventy (LDS Church), First Council of the Seventy from 1892 until his death in ...

. The college lasted until 1874, when it closed due to intense competition from the

University of Deseret The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

(which later became the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

). Although the University of Deseret was founded in 1850, it had been put in a 16-year hiatus until Morgan's success inspired its comeback. On November 26, 1867, Morgan joined the LDS Church and on October 24, 1868 he married one of his former students, Helen Melvina Groesbeck. After the college closed in 1874, Morgan served as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

in the Southern States

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

from 1875 to 1877, returning to the mission again in 1878 to become the

mission president Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A mission president presides over a geographic area known as a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission. Depending on ...

. During his term as mission president he was involved with attempts to help the

Catawba Catawba may refer to: *Catawba people, a Native American tribe in the Carolinas *Catawba language, a language in the Catawban languages family *Catawban languages Botany * Catalpa, a genus of trees, based on the name used by the Catawba and other ...

tribe move to the west to be with the rest of the Saints. On October 8, 1884 he became one of the seven presidents of the

Quorums of the Seventy Seventy is a Priesthood (LDS Church), priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood (Latter Day Saints), Melchizedek priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Traditionally, a church member holding this priestho ...

, filling the vacancy created by the death of

William W. Taylor William Whitaker Taylor (September 11, 1853 – August 1, 1884) was a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature, member of the Presidency of the Seventy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and a son of LDS Church ...

, son of church president John Taylor. Morgan served as a general authority for the last 10 years of his life. Morgan also became involved in Utah politics, and served a term as a representative to the

Utah Territorial Legislature The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term ...

as a Republican in 1883. Morgan died unexpectedly from

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

after a two-week convalescence in

Preston, Idaho Preston is a city in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. The population was 5,204 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Franklin County. It is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The Bear Ri ...

. He was a practicing

polygamist Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

, and all four wives outlived him.He was arrested on polygamy charges while visiting one of his wives in

Manassa, Colorado The Town of Manassa is the Statutory Town that is the most populous municipality in Conejos County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 991 at the 2010 United States Census. History Today, approximately half of Manassa's residents ...

. One of his widows, Mary Ann Linton (Morgan) was remarried to

David King Udall David King Udall, Sr. (September 7, 1851 – February 18, 1938) was an American politician who was a representative to the Arizona Territory, Arizona Territorial Legislature and the founder of the Udall family, Udall political family. Childhood ...

References

External links

Grampa Bill's General Authority PagesJohn Hamilton Morgan Papers at the University of Utah

John Hamilton Morgan Papers
a
University of Utah Digital LibraryMarriott Library Special Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, John Hamilton 1842 births 1894 deaths 19th-century American politicians 19th-century Mormon missionaries American Mormon missionaries in the United States American general authorities (LDS Church) Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Counselors in the General Presidency of the Sunday School (LDS Church) Deaths from malaria Deaths from typhoid fever Infectious disease deaths in Idaho Latter Day Saints from Indiana Latter Day Saints from Utah Members of the Utah Territorial Legislature Mission presidents (LDS Church) People from Greensburg, Indiana Presidents of the Seventy (LDS Church) Union Army soldiers Utah Republicans Founders of schools in the United States 19th-century American educators Heads of universities and colleges in the United States General authority seventies (LDS Church)

Biography

See also

References

Further reading

External links