Morgan Dix (November 1, 1827 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

– April 29, 1908) was an American Episcopal Church priest,

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, and religious author.

Early life

Dix was born on November 1, 1827 in New York City. He was the son of Catherine Morgan, the adopted daughter of Congressman John J. Morgan (1770-1849), and Major General

John Adams Dix John Adams Dix (July 24, 1798 – April 21, 1879) was an American politician and military officer who was Secretary of the Treasury, Governor of New York and Union major general during the Civil War. He was notable for arresting the pro-Souther ...

(1798-1879), U.S. Senator from New York (from 1845–1849),

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

(from January–March 1861), Governor of New York (from 1873–1874) and

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

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 ...

. His father was notable for arresting six members of the pro-Southern Maryland legislature, preventing that divided border state from seceding, and for arranging a system for prisoner exchange via the Dix–Hill Cartel, concluded in partnership with Confederate Major General

Daniel Harvey Hill Lieutenant-General Daniel Harvey Hill (July 12, 1821 – September 24, 1889), commonly known as D. H. Hill, was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the eastern and western theaters of the American Civil Wa ...

. Dix was educated at Columbia College and the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

Career

For almost fifty-three years, he was identified with

Trinity Church, New York Trinity Church is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York, at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. Known for its history, location, architecture and en ...

, of which he became assistant minister in 1855 and

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

in 1862. As well as being a very active churchman, Dix also wrote widely about the practice of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. Among his major works are ''Commentaries on

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and on

Galatians Galatians may refer to: * Galatians (people) * Epistle to the Galatians, a book of the New Testament * English translation of the Greek ''Galatai'' or Latin ''Galatae'', ''Galli,'' or ''Gallograeci'' to refer to either the Galatians or the Gauls in ...

and

Colossians The Epistle to the Colossians is the twelfth book of the New Testament. It was written, according to the text, by Paul the Apostle and Timothy, and addressed to the church in Colossae, a small Phrygian city near Laodicea and approximately f ...

; The Calling of a Christian Woman; The

Seven Deadly Sins The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...

; The Sacramental System;'' and ''Lectures on the First Prayer-Book of Edward VI''.Louis Harmon Peet. He objected to the entrance of girls into universities, because it was not "proper for young women to be exposed to the gaze of young men, many of whom were less bent upon learning than upon amusement." He was an hereditary companion of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

. In 1880, he was subject to a sinister hoax that stretched over several months and became the subject of much comment in the New York City newspapers of the time. The arrest of the hoaxer (who was subsequently given a prison sentence) ended the incident.

Personal life

On 3 June 1874 at the residence of the bride's mother, No. 22 West Seventeenth street New York, New York, Rev. Morgan Dix married Emily Wolsey Soutter. Her parents were James Taylor Soutter Sr. and Agnes Gordon Knox formerly of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. The Right Rev. Dr. Potter, Bishop of the Diocese officiated the ceremony. The New York Times (New York, New York), 4 Jun 1874, Thursday, Page 8. Together they had the following children: *John A. Dix, a 1902 graduate of Harvard who married Sophie W. Townsend, the granddaughter of Howard Townsend and Justine Van Rensselaer *Emily Margaret Gordon Dix, who married Charles Lanier Lawrance (1882–1950) in 1910 *Catherine Morgan Dix, who married William H. Wheelock On the north side of the Trinity Church is the All Saints’ Chapel, added in 1913 in honor of Rev. Dr. Morgan Dix, Rector from 1862-1908. A cenotaph (or memorial) in the likeness of Dix is in the entry to the Chapel.

References

Notes Bibliography * * Swanberg, W. A. (1968) ''The Rector and the Rogue'' New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.

External links

Bibliographic Directory on Morgan Dix
at Project Canterbury
Morgan Dix records at Trinity Wall Street Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dix, Morgan 1827 births 1908 deaths American Episcopal priests American religious writers American Episcopal theologians Columbia College (New York) alumni Place of birth missing General Theological Seminary alumni 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American clergy