Justin Smith Morrill (April 14, 1810December 28, 1898) was an American politician and entrepreneur who represented
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
in 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
(1855–1867) and
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
(1867–1898). He is most widely remembered for the
Morrill Land-Grant Acts
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges in U.S. states using the proceeds from sales of federally-owned land, often obtained from indigenous tribes through treaty, cession, or s ...
that provided federal funding for establishing many of the United States' public colleges and universities. Originally a
Whig, after that party became defunct Morrill was one of the founders of the
Republican Party.
A native of
Strafford, Vermont
Strafford is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,094 at the 2020 census. The town of Strafford was created on August 12, 1761 by way of a royal charter which King George III of Great Britain issued to Governor ...
, Morrill was educated in the schools of Strafford,
Thetford Academy and
Randolph Academy. He worked as a merchant's clerk in Maine and Vermont, then embarked on a business career. In partnership with Jedediah H. Harris, Morrill owned and operated several stores in towns throughout Vermont. The success of his stores enabled Morrill to invest profitably in a farm, banks, railroads, and real estate.
Morrill was active in politics as a Whig, and was elected to Congress in 1854. The party became defunct soon afterwards, and Morrill was a founder of the new Republican Party. He won reelection to the U.S. House every two years from 1856 to 1864, and he served from March 1857 to March 1867. During his House service, Morrill served as chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee and the
House Republican Conference
The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members. The Conference produces a daily pu ...
.
In 1866, Morrill was elected to the U.S. Senate, and he served from March 1867 until his death. During his Senate career, Morrill was chairman of the
Senate Finance Committee
The United States Senate Committee on Finance (or, less formally, Senate Finance Committee) is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures general ...
and the
Joint Committee on Public Buildings. Morrill died in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
on December 28, 1898. He was buried at Strafford Cemetery.
Early life
Morrill was born in
Strafford, Vermont
Strafford is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,094 at the 2020 census. The town of Strafford was created on August 12, 1761 by way of a royal charter which King George III of Great Britain issued to Governor ...
on April 14, 1810, the son of Mary Hunt (Proctor) Morrill and Nathaniel Morrill, a farmer, blacksmith, and militia leader who attained the rank of
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
. Morrill attended the common schools of Strafford,
Thetford Academy and
Randolph Academy. He then trained for a business career by working as a merchant's clerk in Strafford and
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...
. He then was a merchant in Strafford, and the partnership in which he participated with Judge Jedediah H. Harris grew to own and operate four stores throughout the state. Morrill also served in local offices including Town Auditor and Justice of the Peace.
One of Judge Harris's daughters married
Portus Baxter
Portus Baxter (December 4, 1806 – March 4, 1868) was a nineteenth-century banker, farmer, and politician from Vermont. He served as a U.S. Representative from the state's 3rd Congressional District from 1861 to 1867.
Early life
Baxter was bor ...
, who also served in Congress. Baxter and Morrill became close friends as a result of the connection to Judge Harris, with Morrill referring to Baxter as "one of nature's noblemen" and Baxter consciously patterning his business and political career on Morrill's.
Morrill invested in several successful ventures, including banks, railroads, and real estate.
By the late 1840s he was financially secure enough to retire, and he became a gentleman farmer.
In addition to farming, Morrill became active in the
Whig Party, including serving as chairman of the
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
Whig Committee, a member of the Vermont State Whig Committee, and a Delegate to the
1852 Whig National Convention
The 1852 Whig National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held from June 17 to June 20, in Baltimore, Maryland. It nominated the Whig Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1852 election. The convention sel ...
.
Congressional career
In 1854 Morrill was elected to the
Thirty-fourth Congress as a Whig. He was a founder of the
Republican Party, and won reelection five times as a Republican, serving from March 4, 1855 to March 3, 1867. He served as chairman of the
Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures, as well as a number of other program ...
in the
Thirty-ninth Congress
The 39th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1865 ...
. He also served on the
Joint Committee on Reconstruction, which drafted the
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
In 1866 Morrill was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Union Republican. He was reelected 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 ...
in 1872, 1878, 1884, 1890, and 1896, and served from March 4, 1867, until his death, almost thirty-one years. He served as chairman of the
Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds (
Forty-first through
Forty-fourth Congresses) where he played a vital role in obtaining the current
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
main building through his work on the Joint Select Committee on Additional Accommodations for the Library. He also served as chairman of the
Committee on Finance (
Forty-fifth,
Forty-seventh through
Fifty-second,
Fifty-fourth and
Fifty-fifth Congresses). In addition, Morrill was a regent of the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
from 1883 to 1898 and a trustee of the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...
from 1865 to 1898.
Legislation
The
Morrill Tariff of 1861 was a
protective tariff law adopted on March 2, 1861. Passed after anti-tariff southerners had left Congress during the process of secession, Morrill designed it with the advice of
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
economist Henry C. Carey. It was one of the last acts signed into law by
James Buchanan, and replaced the
Tariff of 1857. Additional tariffs Morrill sponsored were passed to raise revenue 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 ...
.
Morrill is best known for sponsoring the Morrill Act, also known as the
Land Grant College Act. This act was signed into law by
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
in 1862, and established federal funding for higher education in every state of the country. In his own words:
He also authored the
Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act
The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act (37th United States Congress, Sess. 2., ch. 126, ) was a federal enactment of the United States Congress that was signed into law on July 1, 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln. Sponsored by Justin Smith Morrill of Vermo ...
of 1862, which targeted
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 nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...
, based on the then-existing practice of
plural marriage (
polygamy
Crimes
Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, 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 ...
). It imposed a five-hundred dollar fine and up to five years imprisonment for the crime of polygamy. On January 6, 1879, in ''
Reynolds v. United States
''Reynolds v. United States'', 98 U.S. 145 (1878), was a Supreme Court of the United States case that held that religious duty was not a defense to a criminal indictment. ''Reynolds'' was the first Supreme Court opinion to address the First Amen ...
'' the
Supreme Court, upheld the Anti-Bigamy Act's ban on plural marriage.
While serving in the U.S. House, Morrill secured passage of legislation to establish the
National Statuary Hall Collection
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...
inside the
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...
.
Under the provisions of this 1864 law, each state is permitted to provide two statues of noteworthy citizens for display inside the Capitol.
A second Land Grant College Act in 1890 targeted the former
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
states and led to the creation of several
historically black colleges and universities
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. ...
.
The Land Grant College Acts ultimately led to the founding of 106
colleges including many state universities, polytechnic colleges, and agricultural and mechanical colleges.
Personal
In 1851, Morrill married Ruth Barrell Swan (1822–1898) of
Easton, Massachusetts
Easton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,058 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Boston area.
Easton is governed by an elected Select Board. Open Town Meeting acts as the legislative br ...
. They had two children. Justin Harris Morrill (1853–1855) died in childhood. James Swan Morrill (1857–1910) graduated from the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...
in 1880 and
Columbian College Law School in 1882. He was a lawyer and farmer and served in a variety of offices including as a member of the
Vermont House of Representatives. He wrote ''Self-Consciousness of Noted Persons'', published in 1886.
Morrill died in Washington, D.C. on December 28, 1898. He was buried at Strafford Cemetery.
At the time of Morrill's death his 43 years and 299 days of
continuous Congressional service was the longest in U.S. history. He has since been surpassed, but still ranks 26th as of March 2021.
Legacy
The
Justin Smith Morrill Homestead in Strafford is a National Historic Landmark.
Many colleges established under the Morrill Act created a 'Morrill Hall' in his honor.
Morrill was initiated into the
Delta Upsilon
Delta Upsilon (), commonly known as DU, is a collegiate men's fraternity founded on November 4, 1834 at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is the sixth-oldest, all-male, college Greek Letter Organizations#Greek letters, Greek-let ...
fraternity as an honorary member in 1864. He received honorary degrees from the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...
,
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
,
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
, and many other institutions.
Justin Morrill College at
Michigan State University was named for him.
In 1962, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 4 cent postage stamp to celebrate the centennial of the Morrill Land-Grant College Act. In 1999, the Postal Service issued a 55 cent
Great Americans series
The Great Americans series is a set of definitive stamps issued by the United States Postal Service, starting on December 27, 1980, with the 19¢ stamp depicting Sequoyah, and continuing through 1999, the final stamp being the 55¢ Justin S. Morr ...
postage stamp of Morrill to honor his role in establishing the land grant colleges.
[Cornell University]
Senator Justin S. Morrill: The Land-Grant College Act and Cornell
retrieved March 10, 2014
In 1967
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
opened two residence halls on its campus. Named for Morrill and Abraham Lincoln, they are also known as
The Towers.
They are the tallest buildings on the OSU campus, and among the tallest in
Columbus Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
.
See also
*
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)
References
Further reading
*Cross, Coy F. ''Justin Smith Morrill, Father of the Land-Grant Colleges.'' Michigan State University Press: 1999. .
''Memorial Address on the Life and Character of Justin S. Morrill.''Government Printing Office: 1899.
External links
Includes
Guide to Research Collections' where his papers are located.
*
*
"An Audacious Act: How a High School Dropout Helped Educate America"produced b
WFCR New England Public Radioand journalist
Lisa MullinsNDSU shrine to MorrillVermont Division for Historic PreservationFriends of the Morrill Homestead''Justin Morrill: Land For Learning''Documentary produced by
Vermont Public Television
Justin S. Morrill papersat Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrill, Justin Smith
1810 births
1898 deaths
People of Vermont in the American Civil War
Vermont culture
People from Strafford, Vermont
Republican Party United States senators from Vermont
Burials in Vermont
Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont
Half-Breeds (Republican Party)
19th-century American politicians
Thetford Academy, Vermont alumni