Daniel Edgar Morgan (August 7, 1877 – May 1, 1949) was an American politician of the Republican party who served as the second and last

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, but is often regarded as the 42nd

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the city. He was the last member of

Cleveland City Council Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Its chambers are located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue, across the street from Public Auditorium in Downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Ci ...

to become mayor until

Frank G. Jackson Frank George Jackson (born October 4, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 57th Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 2006 to 2022. He was first elected on November 8, 2005, unseating incumbent Jane Campbell, and re-elected in 2 ...

was elected in 2005.

Life and career

Morgan was born in

Oak Hill, Ohio Oak Hill is a village in Jackson County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,551 at the 2010 census. History Oak Hill was also a stop on Morgan's Raid, led by Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan during the American Civil War. ...

, to Elias and Elizabeth Jones Morgan. In 1897, he received his Bachelor of Arts from

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1901. He began practicing law in Cleveland and in 1909, was elected to Cleveland City Council as a Republican. He supported

home rule Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...

and assisted in authoring the new city charter that supported the idea of a "large council with small wards" to provide for greater representation at the neighborhood level. After his tenure on City Council, Morgan became the first president of the

City Club of Cleveland The City Club of Cleveland is a non-partisan debate forum in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1912, the club's home is the City Club Building, formerly the Citizens Building, on Euclid Avenue in Downtown Cleveland. Known as "America's Citadel of Free ...

in 1912. He was elected an Ohio

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

in 1928 and developed a "reputation for improving pending legislation to make it more effective." In 1924, Cleveland adopted a council–manager system.

William R. Hopkins William Rowland Hopkins (July 26, 1869 – February 9, 1961) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served as the first city manager of Cleveland, Ohio from 1924 to 1929, during the brief period that Cleveland had a council ...

became the first person to hold the position, but when council felt that Hopkins was becoming too powerful, they elected Morgan to replace him in 1930. As city manager, he "opened all staff positions" for African Americans at City Hospital, negotiated utility rates, and persuaded Cuyahoga County officials to include a "$31 million bond issue on the ballot to pay for public works" to provide employment during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. However, with fast rising unemployment, Morgan's financial plans for Depression aid did not last. In November 1931, the city manager plan was finally abolished and the city returned to a

mayor–council government The mayor–council government system is a system of local government that has a mayor who is directly elected by the voters serve as chief executive, and a separately elected legislative city council. It is one of the two most common forms of loc ...

. Morgan ran for mayor in 1932, but lost to a former mayor Harry L. Davis. He returned to private practice and became a judge of the

Ohio Court of Appeals The Ohio District Courts of Appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the U.S. state of Ohio. The Ohio Constitution provides for courts of appeals that have jurisdiction to review final appealable orders. There are twelve appellate districts ...

in 1939, a position that he held for the rest of his life and career.

Personal life

Morgan married Ella A. Mathews, a

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, on April 22, 1915. She died on July 21, 1923, from complications after the birth of their first child, Nancy. Morgan then married Wilma Ball in February 1926,

Death

Morgan underwent surgery for an undisclosed reason in August 1948, but never fully recovered. He died at his home in

Cleveland Heights, Ohio Cleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs. The city's population was 45,312 at the 2020 census. As of the 2010 census, Cleveland Heights was ranked the 8th larges ...

, on May 1, 1949. His funeral was held at Amasa Stone Chapel on the campus of Western Reserve College. He was interred at

Lake View Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a privately owned, nonprofit garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland in the U.S. state of Ohio. Founded in 1869, the cemetery was favored by wealthy families during the Gil ...

in Cleveland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Daniel Edgar 1877 births 1949 deaths Oberlin College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Mayors of Cleveland American city managers Ohio Republicans People from Oak Hill, Ohio People from Cleveland Heights, Ohio