Morgan B. Williams (September 17, 1831October 13, 1903) was a coal industry executive and politician who served as a Republican member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district from 1897 to 1899. Williams was born in

Rhandir-Mwyn Rhandirmwyn (or Rhandir-mwyn) is a small village in the north east of Carmarthenshire, Wales. Located in the upper Towy valley, 3 km north of Cilycwm village, it extends on both sides of the river. It lies in the parish of Llanfair-ar-y-bryn. ...

, Carmarthenshire, Wales. He attended the public schools and assisted his father in the operation of a lead mine. When Williams was 16, his father died, and he took control of the lead mining operation. He moved to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in 1856 and began gold mining. He returned to Wales in August 1861. He emigrated to the United States in March 1862. He first lived in

Hyde Park, Pennsylvania Hyde Park is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 509 at the 2020 census. Pedestrian Footbridge Located between the borough of Hyde Park and the borough of Leechburg, the footbridge, locally known a ...

and worked in the coal mines until 1865 when he moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He was appointed superintendent for the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Co., and held that position for fourteen years. In 1878, Williams, along with George and Fred Parrish, founded the Red Ash Coal Company. He was head of the Williams Coal Co. in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, worked as president of the Grenville Graphite Company in Canada, vice-president of the Wilkes-Barre Deposit and Savings Bank, as a director of the Spring Brook Water Supply Company and had financial interests in Vulcan Iron Works. He was a member of the Wilkes-Barre school board and the city council for twelve years. He served as a member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

for the 21st district from 1885 to 1888. He was a member of the Chicago World’s Fair Commission in 1893. Williams was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fifth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1898. He remained engaged in coal mining and died in Wilkes-Barre in 1903, aged 72. He was interred in Hollenback Cemetery.

References

The Political Graveyard
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Morgan B. 1831 births 1903 deaths 19th-century American politicians American bankers American businesspeople in the coal industry American company founders Burials in Pennsylvania Pennsylvania city council members Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Carmarthenshire Politicians from Scranton, Pennsylvania Politicians from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania School board members in Pennsylvania Welsh emigrants to the United States 19th-century American businesspeople