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.

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.

Restrictions on Access:

Twenty-four hours advance notice encouraged. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Arrangement:

Organized in three series: I. Writings of John Morgan, II. Professional Papers, III. Biography Research.

Acquisition Information:

Gift of Marjorie Morgan Wagstaff in 1994-1995.

Processing Note:

Processed by Tad Davies in 1995.

Creator:

Morgan, John Hamilton, 1842-1894

Language:

Materials are in English.

Quantity:

3 linear feet

Language of the Finding Aid:

Finding aid encoded in English.

Author of the Finding Aid:

Finding aid prepared by Tad Davies

EAD Creation Date:

2008

Subarea: