Dick T. Morgan Collection

Collection

Identifier: CAC-CC-039

Staff Only

The Morgan Collection, of more than 10 cubic feet and primarily covering the period 1880-1920, contains numerous series: Family and Personal Correspondence; Political and Business Correspondence; Subject Files; Speeches (chronological arrangement); Speeches (alphabetical arrangement by subject); Congressional Bills and Publications; Religious Material; Cards, Invitations, Memorabilia, Pamphlets, Programs, Travelogues, etc.; Scrapbooks and Bound Materials, Clippings and Miscellany; and Outsized. Among the correspondents are family members, contemporaneous congressmen, and President William H. Taft.

Documents found here but not indicated in the series titles are handbills, financial sheets, legal papers, page proofs, press releases, congressional membership lists, and Republican Party platforms. Subjects covered are political campaigns, the contested elections of 1910 and 1912, Morgan's publications, his biography and family, his voting record in Congress, Native Americans, agriculture, patriotism, World War I, and tariffs. There are also materials on land law and farm mortgages, including Morgan's writings and legislation (especially the Rural Credits Bill).

The Morgan Collection is more than 10 linear feet and primarily covers 1880-1920. The materials are a variety of official/congressional documents and more personal material. Morgan’s previous experience as a land agent resulted in his continued interest in land law and farm mortgages, as demonstrated by the collection of his writings and legislation related to it. His scrapbooks are filled with clippings related to prominent issues and campaigns in Oklahoma and nationally, including debates about tariffs and World War I.

Dates

1880-1928

Language of Materials

English Spanish;Castilian

Conditions Governing Use:

The University of Oklahoma asserts no claim of copyright over photographs in this collection taken by private citizens. Any publication of such photographs requires the consent of the copyright holder.

Extent

21.08 Linear Feet (14 containers)

Additional Description

Biographical Information:

Dick T. Morgan was born on December 6, 1853, in Vigo County, Indiana. He received a B. S. in 1876 from Union Christian College (Meron, Indiana) and a LL. B. in 1880 from Central Law School (Indianapolis). From 1880 to 1881, he served in the Indiana state legislature.

In 1889 he moved to Guthrie, Oklahoma, where he practiced law, dealt in real estate, and became active in politics, the Republican Party, and religious affairs. He ran for territorial delegate to Congress in 1900 and 1902, and in 1904 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him Registrar of the U. S. Land Office at Woodward. In addition, he wrote several legal manuals, including Morgan's Digest of Oklahoma Statutes and Supreme Court Decisions (1897), Land Credits (1915), and numerous other books on land law and the farm mortgage system.

Morgan represented Oklahoma's Second District in the U. S. Congress from 1909 to 1915 and the Eighth District from 1915 to 1920. His opponents in the 1910 and 1912 elections, E. L. Fulton and John J. Carney respectively, contested the results because of the grandfather clause in the state constitution that virtually prohibited African Americans from voting. Both elections were upheld, however. During his congressional career, Morgan served on the following U. S. House committees: Expenditures in the Treasury Department, Public Lands, and Judiciary. Land law and farm mortgages still held Morgan's interest while in Congress, and he sponsored the Rural Credits Bill that was enacted in 1916. En route to Oklahoma, Morgan died of pneumonia on July 4, 1920, in Danville, Indiana.

Arrangement of Materials:

This collection is arranged into 13 series. The Family and Personal Correspondence series is arranged chronologically with undated materials filed at the end. The Political and Business Correspondence series is primarily arranged chronologically. The Subject Files series is arranged alphabetically by topic. The Speeches (By Date) series is arranged chronologically. The Speeches (By Subject) series is arranged alphabetically by subject. The Congressional Bills and Publications series is arranged alphabetically then chronologically. The Religious Material series is arranged by type of document. The Cards, Invitations, Memorabilia, Pamphlets, Programs, Travelogues, etc. Series is arranged alphabetically by type of document. The Clippings series is arranged chronologically by year with undated materials sorted to the end followed by a Miscellany folder. Each box of the Oversize Materials series is arranged chronologically by year, month, and day. The Maps series is grouped together by location.

The Morgan Collection is arranged into 13 series: Family and Personal Correspondence, Political and Business Correspondence, Subject Files, Speeches (By Date), Speeches (By Subject), Congressional Bills and Publications, Religious Material, Cards, Invitations, Programs, Travelogues, etc., Scrapbooks and Bound Materials, Clippings, Oversize Materials, Maps, and Photographs. The materials in the collection are arranged either chronologically or alphabetically depending on the series. The Maps series is organized by location.