Judge Robert J. Morgan (1826–1899) was an American lawyer, planter and Confederate veteran. Born and educated in Georgia, he became a lawyer in

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 ...

, and planter in adjacent

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 ...

. 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 ...

, he served as a colonel in the infantry of 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 ...

from 1861 to 1863, and as Adjutant-General to Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk in 1863–1864. He served as Chancellor on the Chancery Court of

Shelby County, Tennessee Shelby County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 929,744. It is the largest of the state's List of counties in Tennessee, 95 counties, both in terms of p ...

, from 1870 to 1878.

Early life

Robert J. Morgan was born on March 25, 1826, in LaGrange, Georgia. His father,

John E. Morgan John Edward Morgan (born 19 December 1977) is an English former professional golfer. He has previously played on the PGA Tour, European Tour and the Challenge Tour. He now works as an on-course analyst for the Sky Sports European Tour broadcast. ...

, was a planter, banker, merchant, and Confederate official during the

. His mother, Mary T. Brown, was the niece of Jarrell Beasley, who served in the Georgia Legislature. Morgan was of English descent on his paternal side. Morgan graduated from the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

in 1847. He served as a legal clerk to Bull & Ferrell, and he was admitted to the bar in 1849.

Career

Morgan was a partner in Morgan & Ferrell, a law firm in LaGrange, from 1849 to 1859. He moved to Memphis, where he practised the law and became a planter in adjacent

. As a Whig, Morgan was opposed to secession until 1861, when he joined the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. During the

, Morgan served in the

. He was the founder of the 36th Tennessee Infantry Regiment in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, in 1861, and served as its Colonel until 1863. He was stationed in Cumberland Gap and fought in Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky. He took part in the Battle of Murfreesboro and the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 19–20, 1863, between United States, U.S. and Confederate States of America, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union Army, Union offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign ...

. From 1863 to 1864, he was Adjutant-General to Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk, up until Polk's death. He then served in the

Confederate States War Department The Confederate States War Department was a cabinet-level department in Confederate States of America government responsible for the administration of the affairs of the Confederate States Army. The War Department was led by the Confederate States ...

until 1865, when he was paroled in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Morgan returned to legal practise in Memphis in 1865. He served as city attorney for Memphis from 1867 to 1870. He served as Chancellor on the Chancery Court of

, from 1870 to 1878. He retired in 1878 and returned to his private legal practise. Morgan gave a speech at the founding ceremony of

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, in 1874. Meanwhile, his name was suggested as a possible candidate for the Tennessee gubernatorial race, but he continued to serve as Chancellor until 1878. When

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...

visited Nashville to give a lecture, Morgan introduced him by saying to the crowd that "European Americans and Indians are both members of the " Aryan" race." (sic)

Personal life

Morgan married Mary H. Battle, the daughter of Dr. Andrews Battle, in 1851. After she died in 1852, he married Martha F. Fort, the daughter of Congressman Tomlinson Fort and a cousin of Colonel James Fannin. They had two sons, Tomlinson Fort Morgan (died as an infant) and John E. Morgan; and daughter, Mary Louisa "Lou" Morgan, who was first married to John A. Keightley. They divorced and she was remarried 30 May 1892 to Col. Terry White Witt.

Death

Morgan died on July 23, 1899, in Aberdeen, Mississippi. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. ''Confederate Colonels''
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Robert J. 1826 births 1899 deaths People from LaGrange, Georgia People from Memphis, Tennessee University of Georgia alumni 19th-century American planters Confederate States Army officers 19th-century American lawyers