Richard Timothy Morgan (July 12, 1952 – October 10, 2018) was a Republican member of the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

representing the state's thirty-first and later fifty-second districts, including constituents in Moore County, for eight terms.

Biography

Morgan was born in

Southern Pines, North Carolina Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,545 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 12,334 in 2010 United States census, 2010. History Founde ...

. He graduated from Pinecrest High School and received his associate in arts degree from

Sandhills Community College Sandhills Community College is a public community college in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Sandhills was chartered in 1963 and officially opened October 1, 1965. It was the first comprehensive community college authorized and established as the re ...

. In 1974, Morgan received his bachelor's degree in political science from

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

. Morgan was an insurance broker and cattle farmer from

Pinehurst, North Carolina Pinehurst, officially The Village of Pinehurst, is a village in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 17,581, up from 13,124 in 2010 United States census, 2010. "Pinehur ...

. Morgan died on October 10, 2018, at the age of 66, at

Duke University Medical Center Duke University Hospital is a 1062 -bed acute care facility and an academic tertiary care facility located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1930, it is the flagship teaching hospital for the Duke University Health Sy ...

, in

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

Political career

Richard Morgan first ran as a Republican for the General Assembly in 1976 and 1980 and lost. Morgan next ran as a Republican for state insurance commissioner in 1984 and lost. Morgan was elected as a Republican to the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing Moore County, in 1990, and was re-elected from 1992 through 2004. In the 2002 elections, Republican won a 61- to 59-seat majority in the North Carolina House of Representatives, and the Republican caucus nominated Rep. Leo Daughtry to be Speaker of the state House. Richard Morgan, a member of the Republican caucus, announced he would oppose Daughtry and run for Speaker of the House himself. After another Republican, Rep. Michael Decker later switched to the Democratic Party, creating a 60–60 tie. Morgan then led a Republican faction that agreed to form a coalition with the Democrats. The coalition elected two "co-speakers" of the House for the first time in state history, for the North Carolina General Assembly of 2003-2004. Speaker

Jim Black Jim Black is an American jazz drummer who has performed with Tim Berne and Dave Douglas. He attended Berklee College of Music. Career His band AlasNoAxis includes Hilmar Jensson on electric guitar, Chris Speed on tenor saxophone and clari ...

, a Democrat, was called the "Democratic Speaker," and Morgan was called the "Republican Speaker." A number of Republicans—but less than a majority of the Republican caucus—considered Morgan's actions tantamount to betraying his party. Rep. Morgan was removed from the North Carolina Republican Party's executive committee in May 2004 for "party disloyalty." In the 2006 election he was defeated by a Republican opponent in the primary. In 2008, Morgan ran for

North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction The North Carolina superintendent of public instruction is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As the head of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the ...

, losing to

June Atkinson June St. Clair Atkinson (born August 19, 1948) was elected North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 3, 2004, in a race that was decided by the North Carolina General Assembly on August 23, 2005. She was re-elected in 2008 an ...

. In 2010, he ran for the State Senate but lost in the Republican primary to incumbent

Harris Blake Harris Durham Blake (November 3, 1929 – June 9, 2014) was a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's twenty-second Senate district, which included constituents in Harnett, Lee and Moore counties. H ...

.State Board of Elections - Primary Election Results
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Electoral history

2010

2008

2006

2004

2002

2000

References

External links

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Richard T. 1952 births 2018 deaths People from Pinehurst, North Carolina People from Southern Pines, North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Businesspeople from North Carolina Farmers from North Carolina 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople Speakers of the North Carolina House of Representatives Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives 21st-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly