William McKendree Morgan (December 2, 1869 – October 16, 1942) was a lawyer and politician in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

and served for two separate periods on the

Idaho Supreme Court The Idaho Supreme Court is the state supreme court of Idaho and is composed of the chief justice and four associate justices. The decisions of the Idaho Supreme Court are binding on all other Idaho state courts. The only court that may reverse ...

. Born in

Adams County, Illinois Adams County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,737. Its county seat is Quincy. Adams County is part of the Quincy, IL– MO Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Adams Coun ...

to John Milton Morgan and Mary (Gooding) Morgan, Morgan was educated in the country schools of

Bourbon County, Kansas Bourbon County (county code BB) is a county located in Southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 14,360. Its county seat and most populous city is Fort Scott. History Early history For many millennia, the Great Pla ...

, later attending the Kansas Normal College at Fort Scott. In 1890, when twenty years of age, he set out to win a fortune in the far west. Making his way to Idaho, he located at

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in Latah County and secured employment on ranches in that vicinity. During the winter of 1890–91, he took up the study of law, and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

on October 9, 1894. In the interim, he became a deputy sheriff of Latah County, serving in that position from 1 January 1893, until 1895, when he began practice. He served as a Democrat in the state legislature from 1897 to 1899, and in 1897 was also appointed private secretary to

Henry Heitfeld Henry Heitfeld (January 12, 1859October 21, 1938) was an American politician. A Populist, he served as a United States Senator from Idaho. Early life Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Heitfeld attended public and private schools there. He moved ...

, United States senator, and continued in that position for five years or until 1902, spending most of the period 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, ...

While there, he pursued a course in the

law department Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, receiving an LL.M. in 1899. Morgan's brother Albert was also an Idaho lawyer, and the brothers were law partners at various times. Although they were closely associated in their professional and social interests, they had opposite political views, Morgan being a Democrat and his brother being a staunch Republican. Morgan served as mayor of Moscow from 1906 to 1908 and returned to the state legislature from 1911 to 1913, serving as the minority leader in the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

. In 1914 he was elected to the Idaho Supreme Court, and by natural rotation became chief justice on January 1, 1919. Morgan resigned from the Idaho Supreme Court in 1920, returning to private practice. However, he defeated incumbent Justice Bertram S. Varian to return to the Idaho Supreme Court in 1933,"Justice faces unusual election challenge", ''The Spokesman-Review'' (April 24, 2000), p. 5. and served until his death at age 72 in 1942.

Personal life

Morgan married Emma May Friedline of Moscow on July 22, 1895. They had two daughters, Pearl and Grace, and a son, Arthur Percival, who died at the age of seventeen months.

References

External links

Political Graveyard entry on William McKendree Morgan

Idaho State Historical Society: Reference Series
- #347, Idaho State Supreme Court Justices (1890-1993) 20th-century mayors of places in Idaho 1869 births 1942 deaths Justices of the Idaho Supreme Court Idaho lawyers Democratic Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives Georgetown University Law Center alumni People from Moscow, Idaho People from Adams County, Illinois Mayors of places in Idaho U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Chief Justices of the Idaho Supreme Court {{Idaho-state-judge-stub