Daniel Johnson Morrell (August 8, 1821 – August 19, 1885) was a Republican member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Early life

Morrell was born in North Berwick, York County, Maine. He attended public schools. Afterward, he moved south to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1836. He entered a counting room as a clerk. He later engaged in mercantile pursuits.

Career

In 1855 he moved to

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is the largest city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, it is the principal city of the Metropolitan statistical area ...

. There he became general manager of the

Cambria Iron Company The Cambria Iron Company of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was a major producer of iron and steel that operated independently from 1852 to 1916. The company adopted many innovations in the steelmaking process, including those of William Kelly and Henr ...

, which was the greatest manufacturer of iron and steel in the United States until the 1889

Johnstown Flood The Johnstown Flood, sometimes referred to locally as the Great Flood of 1889, occurred on Friday, 31 May 1889, after the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam, located on the south fork of the Little Conemaugh River, upstream of th ...

. Morrell also served as president of the local gas and water company from 1860 to 1884, and as president of the First National Bank of Johnstown from 1863 to 1884. He also served as president of the city council for many years. Morrell was elected as a Republican to the Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses. He served as chairman of the

United States House Committee on Manufactures United States House Committee on Manufactures was a standing committee of the U.S. House from 1819 to 1911. On December 8, 1819, an amendment was accepted in the House to separate the Committee on Commerce and Manufactures into the Committee on ...

during the Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1870 Events January * January 1 ** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England. ** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed. * January 3 – Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge be ...

. He was appointed as a US commissioner to the Paris Exposition of 1878.

Johnstown Flood

Morrell became a member of the

South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club was a Pennsylvania corporation that operated an exclusive and secretive retreat at a mountain lake in St. Michael, Pennsylvania, near the community of South Fork. Its members were more than 50 extremel ...

, an exclusive club made up of elite industrialists and businessmen from Pittsburgh. Its property included the

South Fork Dam The South Fork Dam was an earthenwork dam forming Lake Conemaugh (formerly Western Reservoir, also known as the Old Reservoir and Three Mile Dam, a misnomer), an artificial body of water near South Fork, Pennsylvania, United States. On May 31, ...

and its large reservoir, which the club named Lake Conemaugh. As he had long been based in Johnstown, Morrell knew the dam had failed in 1862. He was concerned about its maintenance through multiple owners and wanted to keep a watchful eye on its stewardship by the club. He repeatedly brought up the issue of dam safety to club officials, especially to co-founder, Benjamin Franklin Ruff. Morrell sent multiple letters to Ruff, expressing his concerns about the dam. Morrell had insisted on inspections of the dam's breastwork both by his own engineers and those of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

. Morrell's warnings went unheeded,. His offer to make needed repairs, partially at his own expense, was rejected by club president, Benjamin F. Ruff. Morrell died in 1885. His membership was bought by his colleague, Cyrus Elder, who was legal counsel for the Cambria Iron and Steel Company. Ruff died in 1887. The dam failed in 1889, causing the great

of May 31, 1889. It killed more than 2,200 people, and destroyed homes, businesses, and industry in the valleys and city. It was the largest disaster in U.S. history.

Death and legacy

Morrell was again engaged in banking and died on August 20, 1885, in Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. He is the namesake of the ill-fated .

References

External links

The Political Graveyard
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Great Lakes Vessel Online Index: DANIEL J. MORRELLLakeland Boating: The Morrell Survey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrell, Daniel J. Politicians from Johnstown, Pennsylvania 1821 births 1885 deaths People from North Berwick, Maine Pennsylvania city council members Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives