John Hamilton Morgan papers

Collection

Identifier: ACCN 1465

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The John Hamilton Morgan papers (1845-1986) detail the personal, professional, and religious activities of John Morgan (1842-1894), a noted Utah educator and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) leader. The collection includes letters (1875-1894) and journals (1875-1892) written while Morgan served as a Union soldier in the Civil War; while he conducted LDS Church business as a missionary leader and a ranking member of the LDS Church hierarchy; and while he acted on political issues. Official papers concerning LDS Church affairs and Morgan's government involvement, as well as biographical and religious articles written by and about John Morgan, also appear in the collection. Much of the collection's information concerns the settlement of the San Luis Valley, Colorado, where many LDS converts settled after arriving there (under Morgan's leadership) from the newly-formed Southern States Mission. While most of the material originated in Morgan's lifetime, collections of his inspirational stories, tributes to his memory, and a biography were produced posthumously.

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Dates

1845-1986

Creator

Morgan, John Hamilton, 1842-1894 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical Sketch

John Hamilton Morgan, born in Greensburg, Indiana in 1842, moved to Illinois in 1855. In 1862, he enlisted in the Union Army where he obtained the rank of Color Sergeant and served until June, 1865. After the war, he attended Eastman Commercial College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and became interested in a career in education. On a business trip to Salt Lake City in 1867 he founded Morgan's Commercial College. In Salt Lake City he learned about and joined the LDS Church and began a notable career of church participation. He served, first, as part of the Sunday School Superintendency; then as a missionary and mission president; and finally, as a member of the First Council of Seventy. As part of his missionary endeavors in the Southern States Mission, he lead a large group of immigrating converts to San Luis Valley, Colorado, where they established a Mormon colony in 1878. Interspersed with his church activity, Morgan became involved with the territorial government in Utah and became particularly engaged with issues of education, the formation of the Republican Party in Utah, and the push for statehood. During his political career, Morgan was elected as Engrossing Clerk of the Utah Legislature in 1882 and as a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature in 1883 (where he was appointed chairman of the House Committee on Education). He served as a Regent of the University of Deseret in 1884. In 1883 he also organized the first Salt Lake County School Teachers Association. On August 14, 1894, Morgan died at the age of 52 in Preston, Idaho.