Edwin D. Morgan
Edwin Denison Morgan (February 8, 1811 – February 14, 1883) was the 21st governor of New York from 1859 to 1862 and served in the United States Senate from 1863 to 1869. He was the first and longest-serving chairman of the Republican National Committee. He was also a Union Army general during the American Civil War. Morgan was known for his progressive views on education, prison reform, and women's suffrage. He helped to found the Republican Party in New York and was a strong supporter of the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln.
This article is about the New York politician. For other people with the same name, see Edwin Morgan (disambiguation).
Edwin D. Morgan
Position established
William Samuel Johnson
February 14, 1883 (aged 72)
New York City, New York, U.S.
United States
Union
1861–1863
Department of New York
In 1836 he moved to New York City, becoming a successful wholesale grocer and bond broker. He served as an assistant alderman and member of the New York State Senate. Originally a Whig, he was one of the founders of the Republican Party, and he served as chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1856 to 1864 and 1872 to 1876.
In 1858, Morgan was elected Governor of New York, and he served from 1859 to 1862. As governor during the American Civil War, Morgan supported the Union. Appointed a major general of volunteers in the Union Army, he commanded the military's Department of New York while serving as governor. In 1863, he was elected to the United States Senate, where he served one term. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1869, and the unsuccessful Republican nominee for governor in 1876. Morgan had been a patron of Chester A. Arthur at the start of Arthur's career; when Arthur became president, he nominated Morgan as United States Secretary of the Treasury. Morgan was confirmed by the Senate, but declined on the grounds of age and ill health. Morgan died in New York City in 1883, and was buried in Connecticut.
Early life[edit]
Morgan was born on February 8, 1811, in Washington, Massachusetts, to Jasper and Catherine (Copp) Morgan.[1] The family moved to Windsor, Connecticut, where Morgan received his early education before attending Bacon Academy in Colchester.[2] Edwin Morgan was a cousin of Morgan G. Bulkeley, the Governor of Connecticut from 1889 to 1893. In addition, he was a cousin of Congressmen Edwin B. Morgan and Christopher Morgan.[3]