Robert Morrison, D.D. (March 15, 1822 – July 27, 1902) was an American

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister, teacher and editor who was the principal founder of the

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...

international

college fraternity A fraternity (from Latin ''frater'': "brother"; whence, "brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in ...

, suggesting the fraternity's creation and co-authoring the fraternity document known as ''The Bond''. Morrison grew up in Ohio and entered

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

in 1839 as a scholarship student. He attended Ohio University for two years, returning home to help on the family farm and to teach school. He entered

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

in 1846 and conceived the idea for the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, which he founded with five other students on December 26, 1848. He later attended

McCormick Theological Seminary McCormick Theological Seminary is a private Presbyterian seminary in Chicago, Illinois. It shares a campus with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, bordering the campus of the University of Chicago. A letter of intent was signed on May 5 ...

and

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...

.''Boston Evening Transcript'', 1 Aug 1902
Rev. Robert Morrison
/ref> Morrison's career as a minister, editor of religious publications and teacher took him to Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Missouri. He edited the ''Louisville Presbyterian Herald'' from 1854 to 1860. He was also co-editor of the ''Louisville True Presbyterian'', which was suppressed by Union military authorities in 1863, 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 ...

. In September 1869, Morrison established Westminster Academy, a co-educational school in

Waterford, Ohio Waterford is a census-designated place in central Waterford Township, Washington County, Ohio, United States. It has a post office with the ZIP code 45786. It is located on State Route 339 across the Muskingum River from the village of B ...

, where he was principal for six years.''The Scroll of Phi Delta Theta'', Volume 27, 1903, pp. 20–31. He was also the principal of Poplar Grove Academy in

Rutherford County, Tennessee Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in Middle Tennessee. As of the 2021 census, the population was 352,182, making it the fifth-most populous county in Tennessee. A study conducted by the Univers ...

. He combined his teaching duties with regular preaching. From 1879 to 1881 he worked as financial agent to eliminate the debts of Westminster College and established the Phi Delta Theta Missouri Beta Chapter, in

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolita ...

.Walter Benjamin Palmer, ''The Olympian of Phi Delta Theta'', George Banta Publishing Company, 1912, p. 22. After this he preached at various locations around Missouri, and founded churches in towns such as Gravois Mills and Tuscumbia. Miami University conferred a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

on him in 1897. Morrison died at his home near Fulton, Missouri in 1902, second to last survivor of the six founders of Phi Delta Theta. The fraternity paid off Morrison's mortgage and provided an endowment to his widow.''The New York Times'', 30 November 1902
Tribute to Founder of a Fraternity
/ref>

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Robert 1822 births 1902 deaths American educators American Presbyterian ministers 19th-century Presbyterian ministers Editors of Kentucky newspapers Ohio University alumni Miami University alumni McCormick Theological Seminary alumni Princeton Theological Seminary alumni College fraternity founders Phi Delta Theta 19th-century American clergy