Thomas Zanzinger Morrow (September 3, 1836August 25, 1913) was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, judge, and politician from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. He was one of twenty-eight men who founded the Kentucky Republican Party. His brother-in-law,

William O. Bradley William O'Connell Bradley (March 18, 1847May 23, 1914) was a politician from the U.S. state of Kentucky. He served as the List of governors of Kentucky, 32nd Governor of Kentucky and was later elected by the Kentucky General Assembly, state leg ...

, was elected

governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-el ...

in 1895, and his son, Edwin P. Morrow was elected to that same office in 1919. Morrow actively campaigned for

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 ...

for

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

in 1860, and served in both houses of the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in the ...

. During 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 ...

, he raised and commanded the 32nd Kentucky Infantry Regiment of 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 ...

, which was in active service from 1862 to 1863. After the war, he remained active with the Republican Party, and was its nominee for governor in 1883, losing to J. Proctor Knott. He served seventeen years as a circuit court judge for Kentucky's 8th district. He died August 25, 1913, after a long illness.

Early life

Thomas Morrow was born in Boyle County, Kentucky September 3, 1836.Ward, p. 221 He was one of six children born to Alexander S. and Margaret (Boyd) Morrow.Perrin, p. 920 His paternal grandparents emigrated from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

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, ...

before the Revolutionary War.Jillson, p. 19 Alexander Morrow relocated to

Paris, Kentucky Paris is a home rule-class city in Bourbon County, Kentucky. It lies northeast of Lexington on the Stoner Fork of the Licking River. Paris is the seat of its county and forms part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. As ...

, before coming to Flemingsburg. In 1848, the family moved to

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes ...

, where Alexander found work as a merchant and hotel keeper.Tibbals, p. 43Smith, p. 809 Thomas Morrow matriculated to

Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is ...

and graduated in 1855. Among his fellow graduates that year were future

Missouri governor The governor of Missouri is the head of government of the U.S. state of Missouri and the commander-in-chief of the Missouri National Guard. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by t ...

Thomas Theodore Crittenden Thomas Theodore Crittenden (January 1, 1832 – May 29, 1909) was a United States colonel during the American Civil War, and a Democratic politician who served as the List of governors of Missouri, 24th Governor of Missouri from 1881 to 18 ...

, future Kentucky governor John Y. Brown, and future Kentucky

congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

William Campbell Preston Breckinridge William Campbell Preston Breckinridge (August 28, 1837 – November 18, 1904) was a lawyer and Democratic politician from Kentucky; a U.S. Representative from 1885 to 1895. He was a scion of the Breckinridge political family: grandson of Senato ...

.Jillson, p. 22 Morrow then enrolled in the law school at

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

, graduating in 1856. Following graduation, Morrow taught school for six months in Milledgeville, Kentucky in Lincoln County. In 1857, he moved to

Somerset, Kentucky Somerset is a home rule-class city in Pulaski County, Kentucky, United States. The city population was 11,924 according to the 2020 census. It is the seat of Pulaski County. History Somerset was first settled in 1798 by Thomas Hansford and rec ...

, where he became the editor of a Democratic newspaper for one year. After this, he opened his law practice, partnering with

Joshua Fry Bell Joshua Fry Bell (November 26, 1811 – August 17, 1870) was a Kentucky slave owner and political figure. Bell was born in Danville, Kentucky, where he attended public schools and then Centre College, where he graduated in 1828. He next st ...

. In 1858, he was elected

county attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

of Pulaski County; he served until his resignation in 1861.Tibbals, p. 16 Morrow married Catherine Virginia Bradley on December 24, 1858.Perrin, p. 921 Bradley was a sister to William O. Bradley, who was elected the first Republican governor of Kentucky in 1895 and later served as a U. S. Senator.Jillson, p. 21 The couple had eight children—7 boys and 1 girl. Their youngest children were twin boys; one of these was Edwin P. Morrow, who was elected governor of Kentucky in 1919.

Civil War

Morrow supported the Union cause during the Civil War. He was one of twenty-eight men who founded the Kentucky Republican Party, and he actively campaigned for

during the 1860 presidential election.Jillson, p. 23 He was elected to the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form ...

in 1861 and served until 1863.Tibbals, p. 33 Morrow helped recruit part of the 32nd Kentucky Infantry for the Union Army, though three of his brothers enlisted in the

Confederate 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 ...

. The unit went into service on October 28, 1862, with Morrow as its

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. They saw action at the Battle of

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

among other engagements. Morrow mustered out at

, on August 12, 1863.

Later political career

Elected to the

Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators. The Kentu ...

in 1865, Morrow resigned the following year to accept an appointment as U.S. Assessor of Internal Revenue for the Eighth Collection District. He served in that capacity until 1869, and in 1870, he removed to

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

, and lived there for fourteen months before returning to Somerset and resuming his legal practice. He was a delegate and

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...

to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...

, and an alternate elector in 1880. At the Republican state convention in Lexington, held May 23, 1883, Morrow was chosen as the Republican nominee for governor of Kentucky.Tapp, p. 215 His opponent was popular six-term congressman J. Proctor Knott.Harrison, p. 262 Morrow charged that the Democrats had, since the end of the Civil War, squandered the state's money and accomplished little.Tapp, p. 216 He cited as evidence that in 1865, the state's debt was $6 million and the state

sinking fund A sinking fund is a fund established by an economic entity by setting aside revenue over a period of time to fund a future capital expense, or repayment of a long-term debt. In North America and elsewhere where it is common for public and priva ...

contained $9 million in resources, but by 1883, the sinking fund was exhausted with the state debt still standing at $400,000. He also attacked outgoing Democratic governor Luke P. Blackburn for his liberal use of executive

clemency A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

. Morrow was no match for Knott's oratory nor the scathing press of ''

Louisville Courier-Journal The ''Courier Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), and called ''The Courier-Journal'' between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is the highest circulation newspape ...

'' editor

Henry Watterson Henry Watterson (February 16, 1840 – December 22, 1921), the son of a U.S. Congressman from Tennessee, became a prominent journalist in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as a Confederate soldier, author and partial term U.S. Congressman. A Demo ...

.Tapp, p. 217 Knott won the election by a vote of 133,615 to 89,181. In 1884, Morrow served as chair of the Republican State Central Committee.Perrin, pp. 920–921 He was elected circuit court judge for Kentucky's 8th judicial district in 1886, winning by a margin of 862 votes. He retained this position for seventeen years."Obituary" Also in 1886, he was chosen division commander of the C. A. Zachary post of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

in Somerset. He was a charter member of the First

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 ...

Church of Somerset and was an elder there for many years.Tibbals, p. 44 He was also a member of the Somerset

Elks Lodge The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a so ...

and a charter member of the Somerset Odd Fellows Lodge. In 1908, the city of Somerset erected a park and fountain in the public square and added bronze plaques on pedestals surrounding the fountain to honor citizens who contributed to Pulaski County's development; one of these plaques is dedicated to Morrow.Tibbals, p. 226 Morrow died at the home of his son, W. Boyd Morrow, on August 25, 1913, after a long illness. He was buried in the city cemetery in Somerset.

Early life

Civil War

Later political career

Footnotes

References

Sources

Further reading