Person:John Morgan (122)

Education Pioneer

John Morgan founded Morgan Commercial College, which taught many prominent early day Utahns

Last updated 06/26/1998, 12:01 a.m. MT

By Dennis Lythgoe Deseret News staff writer

His male students included Heber J. Grant, Orson F. Whitney, Mathias Cowley, J. Golden Kimball, James H. Moyle, Joseph T. Kingsbury and Brigham H. Roberts. Some of the women at his school were Ruth May Fox, Dora Stringham Ashley, Minerva Hinckley, Lelia Tuckett Freeze and Mattie Bailey.

John Morgan, a pioneer of early Utah education, brought these and numerous other Utah students under his wing at Salt Lake City's Morgan Commercial College. Morgan, who was born in 1842 in Indiana, farmed until the age of 20, then enlisted in the Union army, where he served honorably until the end of the Civil War. Afterward, he moved to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and enrolled as a student in Eastman's Commercial College. After graduation, he accepted a contract to drive a herd of Texas longhorn beef cattle from Kansas City to Salt Lake City.

The Great American Desert appealed to Morgan, so he stayed, operating his college first out of the old Deseret Museum Building, then relocating to the southwest corner of Richards and South Temple. The college included Utah's first free public library and reading room. Because interest in a business education was keen, Morgan soon had so many students he was forced to move to a more spacious two-story building at 257 S. Main.

When Morgan married one of his students, 16-year-old Helen Melvina ("Mellie") Groesbeck, her father gave them a block of land as a wedding present. So in 1869, Morgan built a new college at 144 W. 100 South. The college thrived from 1867 until 1874, when it closed due to intense competition from the University of Deseret, soon to become the University of Utah. Although founded before Morgan College in 1850, the University of Deseret initially struggled, then took a 16-year hiatus until Morgan College's success inspired its comeback.

At its peak, Morgan College had 700 students, compared with the University of Deseret's meager 200. As principal, Morgan freely spread such pithy words of wisdom as: "Do not allow the long winter evenings before you to be thrown away; or worse, do not allow yourself to be drawn into the company of the vicious, within the walls of drinking saloons and billiard halls."

When Morgan College was founded, there were no other schools in the territory offering education above the elementary grades. When the college first opened, the subjects taught were bookkeeping, grammar, spelling, mental and practical arithmetic, commercial and international law and business correspondence.

Although not a member of the LDS Church, Morgan lived in the home of LDS Bishop Joseph L. Heywood of the 17th Ward. Some of the leading citizens of the territory were uneasy that many young LDS men and women were attending a school administered by a non-Mormon. These concerns were alleviated in November 1867, when Morgan was baptized into the LDS Church.

Besides Morgan himself, Morgan College had seven teachers, whose teaching methods were highly practical. It took a student from six months to two years to complete a course of study. Periodically, eminent businessmen, bankers, lawyers and merchants gave lectures to the students. The college maintained miniature grocery stores, dry goods stores, brokerage houses and a bank to enable students to dabble in business life. If a student wanted to operate a grocery store, he did so, buying merchandise at wholesale and selling it at retail.

After the college closed, Morgan served in the territorial Legislature, then as an LDS missionary and later as president of the Southern States Mission. Finally, he spent 10 years as a member of the LDS Church's Council of Seventy. He died unexpectedly at the premature age of 52, after suffering for several weeks with typhoid-malaria.

On May 8, 1959, the eloquent and charismatic Morgan was honored by his son, Nicholas G. Morgan Sr., when a Vermont granite monument to his memory and to that of Morgan College was unveiled at 257 S. Main in front of S.H. Kress Co. A fountain adorned each side, and on top of the monument was a bust of Morgan, sculpted by Ortho Fairbanks. Two bronze plaques were embedded in the base, one showing a picture of the historic institution, the first commercial college west of the Mississippi, and the other recounting its brief history. Karen Matthews, a granddaughter of John Morgan, remembers a day several years ago when she noticed Morgan's head had disappeared from the monument. "I was very upset. I called the mayor and asked 'Where is the bust of John Morgan?' " No one knew. About a year later, Matthews' cousin, Bud Morgan, got a call from someone who said he had the bust. He said a friend had picked it up at a garage sale, then gave it to him when he moved to California. Sure enough, family members recovered the bust, in surprisingly good shape, from a home on the Avenues. Although the Morgan family made certain the head was fastened more securely, the monument had to be removed during the recent construction of the American Stores Building. So Matthews is planning the return of the monument to its rightful home on Sept. 12, with most of the students' names permanently etched into it. "I thought it would be fun for people to know if their ancestors went to the commercial college," says Matthews. Ortho Fairbanks has redesigned the monument, with a marble base. He replaced the fountains on either side with a young male student and a young female student. As John Morgan once said, "A school room without order is a public nuisance."

Disclaimer: Much of the information in this database is derived from the publically available work of others and has not been validated. You should verify the accuracy and source(s) for all information before relying on it for absolute accuracy.

Family Group Sheet submitted by James Leonard Linton.

Nephi, Utah LDS Ward Records GSF 26218

FGR by Mary Ann Linton Morgan of Salt Lake City, Utah

Index card to Morgan Temple Records 1 No. 14 Book 1 Page 2 by Mary Ann Linton Morgan reference number 1

Index card to Morgan Temple Records 2 No. 81 Book 1 Page 5 by Mary Ann Linton Morgan reference number 1

Letter from Vicki Hamilton Davis, 923 Willowbrook Road, Staten Island, NY 10314 dated 5 Feb 1991 in the possession of James L. Tanner quotes the 1850 Dacatur County Indiana Census which lists at 166 30 32 John W. Morgan 7 F Indiana (this may have been copied wrongly)

Family Group Record from the records of Mary Ann Linton Morgan of Salt Lake City, Utah now in the possession of James L. Tanner of Mesa, Arizona states "From Historians Office. John Hamilton Morgan was ordained a Seventy 8 Oct 1875 by Joseph Young who was ordained 28 Feb 1835 by Joseph Smith.

"Morgans in America" book with no date and no author mentioned with corrections. Obtained from Mary Ann Linton Morgan of Salt Lake City, Utah now (1993) in the possession of James L. Tanner of Mesa, Arizona

Notes compiled by Mary Ann Linton Morgan of Salt Lake City, Utah now (1993) in the possession of James L. Tanner of Mesa, Arizona state " John Morgan. One of first presidents of Seventies form 1884 to 1894 was the son of Gerrard Morgan and Anna Eliza Hamilton and was born Aug 8, 1842 at Grensbug, Decaur County, Inciana. During the war of the rebellion which broke out when he was 18 years old he joined the Union Army. He participated in several of the most important battles. Went to Utah at the close of the war. he was sson engaged as an instructor in the university. When that institution was conducted in the Council House, Salt Lake City. Later he established the Morgan Commercial College on first south street in a building located where the Morgan Hotal now stands. having become converted to Mormonism He was baptized by Robert Campbell Nov 26, 1867 in salt Lake City and ordained an Elder by W. M. H Folsom Oct 22, 1868 in 1875 he responded to a call as a missionary to the Southern states which he filled with ability and zeal and returned home Dec 1877 prior to his departure on this mission he was ordained a seventy Oct 8, 1875 by Joseph Young in 1878 he was called on a second mission to the southern states this time he presided over the mission In that capaicty his devotion and enery in spreading the gospel made for him a bright and lasting record. While presideing over the mission he made several visits to Utah and in Oct. 1884 he was chosen and ordained one of the first presidents of seventies to fill a vacancy by death of Wm W. Taylor. He served as member of utah Legistlature. He died in preston oneida county Idaho aug 14. 1894 his body was taken to S. L. C. for burial"

Letter from Mary Ann Linton Morgan of Salt Lake City, Utah to Mr. Bruce I. Morgan of Bloomington, Illinois written 14 August 1931 as follows: Salt Lake City 12 (date missing Note there are two letters on the same type of paper, one has a note "posted 14" and the date August 14, 1931; this letter has the note "posted 15". It can be assumed that these are drafts or copies of the actual letters sent and were written about the same time.) Salt Lake City Aug. 14, 1931 Mr. Bruce I. Morgan 1114 W. Jackson Bloomington, Ill. Dear Mr. Morgan (Kinsman I believe) Recently a small book, a diary, written by my husband while visiting his parents and kinfolk in Normal and Bloomington, Ill, in 1875, 10 years after leaving home, came into my hands. Being interested in genealogy, I was quite anxious to find some of these relatives, so visited The Polk City Directory, Library to try to find names and addresses of some of these Morgans. was especially attracted to yours, as a familiar family name. A generation or two back three Morgan brothers married 3 Bruce sisters, daughters of Henry Bruce and it has been used as a given name through the families. My youngest grand son is call Bruce Lowell. My husband is John Hamilton Morgan, son of Garrard and Eliza Ann Hamilton, born 8 AUG. 184_ and died 14 Aug. 1894. he served all through the Civil War with distinction and honor. And soon after being mustered out of service came West, married Miss Helen M. Groesbeck, deceased, had a fine family by this marriage. I have 3 sons all married and have families. John had four brothers, William Woodson, Leanidas, James and Garrard Jr., one sister Luella, who married a Mr. Eddison. We have lost all trace of this family since his death so would be very pleas to hear from any of them. If you know any of them or their addresses and would like to very much to know of which son you are descended. I am enclosing a pedigree chart with some of the family groups and shall be glad if you can add any information. (unsigned) [sent two family groups and pedigree]

Handwritten Family Group Record from the records of Mary Ann Linton Morgan of Salt Lake City, Utah now (2003) in the possession of James L. Tanner of Mesa, Arizona states that he was baptized by John Andrews and confirmed by Joel Grover.

1. ↑ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ancestral File (R). (Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998).