Edwin B. Morgan

Edwin B. Morgan (1859)

Edwin Barber Morgan (born May 2, 1806 in Aurora , Cayuga County , New York , †  October 13, 1881 ) was an American businessman and politician . Between 1853 and 1859 he represented New York State in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Edwin Morgan was the older brother of Congressman Christopher Morgan (1808–1877) and a nephew of Noyes Barber (1781–1844), who represented Connecticut in the US House of Representatives. He was also a cousin of New York Governor Edwin D. Morgan (1811-1883). He attended the public schools in his home country and then worked in trade, where he took over his father's business in 1827. He soon expanded the company. He also got into the banking industry. He later became president of Wells Fargo , which was founded in 1852 as a transportation company and later became a financial services company. Morgan was a director at American Express from the mid-1850s until his death . He also founded the United States Express Company in 1854 . Politically, he was initially a member of the Whigs . After its dissolution, he joined the short-lived Opposition Party before moving to the Republican Party , founded in 1854 .

In the congressional elections of 1852 Morgan was elected as a Whig candidate in the 25th  constituency of New York in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , where he succeeded Thomas Y. Howe on March 4, 1853 . After two re-elections, once as an oppositionist and once as a Republican, he was able to complete three terms in Congress by March 3, 1859 . These were shaped by the events leading up to the civil war . Morgan was chairman of the patent committee between 1855 and 1857. In 1858 he renounced another candidacy.

After his tenure in the US House of Representatives, Morgan continued his previous activities. During the Civil War he was involved in the formation and equipment of regiments from New York State. From 1865 to 1874 he was the curator of Cornell University . He was also a curator at various other schools. In 1871 he acquired the majority of shares in the New York Times newspaper . Thereby he supported their fight against William Tweed , the corrupt head of Tammany Hall . Morgan's action prevented Tweed or his friends from gaining control of the paper. Edwin Morgan died on October 13, 1881 in his hometown of Aurora, where he was also buried.

Web links

• Edwin B. Morgan in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Thomas Y. Howe	United States House Representative for New York (25th constituency) March 4, 1853 - March 3, 1859	Martin Butterfield