Joseph Robert Morris (April 24, 1828 December 6, 1885) was a metal worker, business owner, investor, and inventor. He briefly served as mayor of
Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
.
Early life and family
Joseph Robert Morris was born on April 24, 1828, in Milton, Connecticut, now a part of
Litchfield. He attended school through the age of fourteen, when he moved to
New Haven
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...
, Connecticut for an apprenticeship to a
tinner. He fabricated a stock of tinware and sent it to Texas along with his two younger brothers and his father to
Bastrop, Texas around 1845. Morris continued to sell tinware in Connecticut.
Career
Morris's father established a tin store in Bastrop that quickly failed. With his father's health failing, Morris moved to Texas with a stock of tinware, which he peddled in rural Texas. With the proceeds of this business, he settled his father's business debts, then moved to Houston. At first he worked in the tinshop of
Alexander McGowan. The next year, in 1847, he set up his own tin shop in Houston, which later expanded into a general hardware business. His inventions included a furnace and a spark arrester, and he gained membership to the
British Academy of Sciences.
[
Morris supported the Union during the ]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 ...
, and was appointed mayor of Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
under the military command of Joseph Jones Reynolds. Morris co-founded two transportation companies, the Houston Direct Navigation Company and the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company. He built one of the first four-story buildings in Houston, and the first with an iron facade. According to the 1870 Census, he was one of the wealthiest persons in Texas.
Personal life
On December 20, 1860, Morris married Hannah Cordelia Buckner. Together they had six children.[
]
Death
Morris died on December 6, 1885. His final resting place is Glenwood Cemetery in Houston
Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Joseph Robert
1828 births
1885 deaths
Mayors of Houston
Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas)
19th-century American businesspeople