James Bright Morgan (March 14, 1833 – June 18, 1892) was an American lawyer, politician, and

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

veteran who served three terms as a

U.S. Representative 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

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

1885 to 1891. After leaving

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, he returned to his legal practice but was murdered by an opposing counsel in 1892.

Early life and career

He was born near

Fayetteville, Tennessee Fayetteville is the county seat and the largest city in Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States. The city's population was 7,095 at the 2020 census. History Fayetteville is the largest city in Lincoln County. The city was established in 1809 ...

and moved with his parents to De Soto County, Mississippi in 1840, settling in Hernando. He received an academic education and studied law. Morgan was admitted to the bar in 1857, and practiced in Hernando. In 1857 he was elected probate judge of De Soto County and he served until 1861, the outbreak of the

Civil War

During the Civil War, Morgan enlisted in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

, initially as a private. He eventually received a commission and progressed through the ranks, becoming major of the Twenty-ninth Mississippi Infantry. He attained the rank of colonel before the end of the war. After he war, he returned to his law practice and was once again elected probate judge of De Soto County.

Political career

Morgan was elected to the

Mississippi State Senate The Mississippi State Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the Lower house, lower Mississippi House of Represen ...

in 1876, and served until 1878 when he became Chancellor of the third chancery district, a post he held until 1882.

Congress

He was then elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, and Fifty-first Congresses (March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891).

Retirement and death

After retiring from his political career he resumed the practice of law. He died near

Horn Lake, Mississippi Horn Lake is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is located south of Memphis, Tennessee. The population was 26,736 at the 2020 census, making it the 13th most populous city in Mississippi. Geography Horn Lake is bordered ...

on June 18, 1892, and was interred at Hernando Baptist Cemetery.

Murder and aftermath

Morgan died when he was shot while on board a train traveling to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

; his assailant was attorney Henry Foster. Morgan and Foster had been opposing counsel in a lawsuit shortly before Morgan's death, which led to an argument between Foster and Morgan's son; Morgan responded by administering a

caning Caning is a form of corporal punishment consisting of a number of hits (known as "strokes" or "cuts") with a single Stick-fighting, cane usually made of rattan, generally applied to the offender's bare or clothed buttocks (see spanking) or han ...

to Foster. Foster retaliated by shooting Morgan. Foster was convicted at his first trial. After a successful appeal resulted in a retrial, he was acquitted in 1894.

References

Sources

Newspapers

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, James Bright 1833 births 1892 deaths Confederate States Army officers Probate court judges in the United States Democratic Party Mississippi state senators Mississippi state court judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi People from Hernando, Mississippi People from Fayetteville, Tennessee Deaths by firearm in Mississippi 19th-century American judges 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature