Early Years
Peter George Morgan was born into slavery on October 21, 1817, in Nottoway County. The names of his mother and father are unknown. He was of mixed-race ancestry, possibly including Native American. Little is known about his early life, but he trained as a shoemaker and was allowed to hire himself out to work. Despite being enslaved Morgan was identified as a white man in the 1850 census, living in a household with another shoemaker and a saddler.
Career
Following the war, Morgan operated a saloon. Likely well known in his community, he was nominated in September 1867 by the radical wing of the Republican Party as a candidate to represent Petersburg at a convention called to rewrite Virginia's constitution as required by the Reconstruction Act passed by Congress earlier that year. Morgan advocated a higher tax imposed on property of more than 400 acres, a poll tax, and the removal of any race-related words from the state constitution. African American men, voting for the first time, overwhelmingly elected Morgan and fellow Republican James Henry Platt at the polls on October 22.
During his tenure he proposed two bills related to fishing on the James River and served on a special committee appointed in 1870 to report on the legality of fellow delegate William H. Andrews's arrest on charges of drunk and disorderly conduct and assault. He opposed a resolution calling for a committee to confer with railroad executives about providing segregated railcars, arguing that laws should protect the civil rights of African Americans. On March 28, 1871, Morgan joined the majority of Republicans and many Conservatives when he voted for a bill that provided for the payment of the antebellum state debt, which totaled more than $45 million. The Funding Act proved disastrous and was later regarded as one of the state's most ill-advised pieces of economic legislation. Morgan did not run for a second term in 1871.
Morgan was dedicated to working in his community and helping disadvantaged African Americans. In December 1868 he joined other black and white men in establishing a dual board for the Petersburg Relief Association. Believing, however, that assistance was provided disproportionately to white residents, some of the African American members soon formed a separate Impartial Relief Association, of which Morgan was elected president on January 19, 1869. Later that year, he was one of the founding directors of the People's Savings Bank of the City of Petersburg. He continued to serve as a director into the 1870s, although the bank ultimately failed, possibly as a result of the financial crisis in 1873.
Later Years
Time Line
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October 21, 1817 - Peter G. Morgan is born into slavery in Nottoway County.
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ca. 1840 - Peter G. Morgan and an enslaved woman named Julia Ann Jackson marry. They will have at least three sons and four daughters.
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1850 - Despite being enslaved, Peter G. Morgan is identified as a white man in the federal census.
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1850s - Some time during the decade Peter G. Morgan purchases his own freedom from Thomas H. Fowlkes for about $1,500.
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1858 - Peter G. Morgan purchases his wife and two daughters’ freedom for $1,500.
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ca. 1863 - During the Civil War Peter G. Morgan and his family move to Petersburg, where Morgan registers as a free negro.
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January 15, 1864 - Peter G. Morgan emancipates his wife and three daughters.
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1865 - After the Civil War, Peter G. Morgan operates a saloon in Petersburg.
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September 1867 - Peter G. Morgan is nominated by the radical wing of the Republican Party as a candidate to represent Petersburg at a convention called to rewrite Virginia’s constitution.
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October 22, 1867 - Peter G. Morgan wins election to represent Petersburg at a convention called to rewrite Virginia’s constitution.
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December 3, 1867–April 17, 1868 - Delegates, including many African Americans, meet in Richmond for the constitutional convention, chaired by John C. Underwood. African American men were able to vote for delegates to the convention, and many white men refused to vote in protest.
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December 3, 1867–April 17, 1868 - Peter G. Morgan, a representative from Petersburg to the constitutional convention, serves on the Committee on the Elective Franchise and Qualifications for Office, the Committee on Currency, Banking, and Insurance Companies, and briefly on the Committee on Military Affairs.
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December 1868 - Peter G. Morgan joins other black and white men in establishing a dual board for the Petersburg Relief Association.
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1869 - Peter G. Morgan, representative for Petersburg to the constitutional convention, does not participate in the vote approving the new state constitution.
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1869 - Peter G. Morgan wins a seat representing Petersburg in the House of Delegates, garnering more than 2,700 votes over his Conservative opponent’s 1,800.
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1869 - Late in the year, Peter G. Morgan is one of the founding directors of the People’s Savings Bank of the City of Petersburg.
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1869–1871 - Peter G. Morgan serves a two-year term in the House of Delegates representing Petersburg. During his tenure he proposes two bills and serves on two standing committees.
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January 1869 - Peter G. Morgan is elected president of the newly formed Impartial Relief Association.
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1870s - Peter G. Morgan sits on the Republican Party’s state committee.
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March 28, 1871 - Peter G. Morgan, representing Petersburg, joins the majority of Republicans and many Conservatives in the House of Delegates in voting for a bill that provides for the payment of the antebellum state debt. The law proves disastrous and is later regarded as one of the state’s most ill-advised pieces of economic legislation.
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March 30, 1871 - The General Assembly passes "An Act to Provide for the Funding and Payment of the Public Debt," or the Funding Act of 1871.
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1872 - Peter G. Morgan wins a seat on Petersburg’s city council.
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1872 - During his first term on Petersburg’s city council, Peter G. Morgan is embroiled in controversy when he and other council members fight against a proposed city charter that will eliminate elective city offices in favor of appointments by a municipal judge.
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May 1874 - Peter G. Morgan wins a second two-year term to Petersburg’s city council. He advocates for the city’s public schools and urges employment of African American teachers in the segregated schools.
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1876 - Peter G. Morgan loses a bid for reelection to Petersburg’s city council.
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1880 - Peter G. Morgan loses a second bid for reelection to Petersburg’s city council.
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1880s - Early in the decade Peter G. Morgan participates in a movement to obtain state and federal funds to deepen Petersburg’s harbor, which is unable to compete with larger operations in cities such as Norfolk.
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1880s - Peter G. Morgan holds a patronage position as a revenue collector at the customhouse.
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1883 - By this year, Peter G. Morgan has joined other Republicans in supporting the Readjusters, a biracial coalition that won control of the General Assembly in 1879.
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1888 - Peter G. Morgan succeeds in winning a third term on Petersburg’s city council, after two failed attempts.
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1888 - Peter G. Morgan’s wife, Julia Ann Jackson, dies.
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1890 - Peter G. Morgan serves as a trustee when his son-in-law, James Solomon Russell, incorporates Saint Paul Normal and Industrial School (later Saint Paul’s College), in Lawrenceville.
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March 15, 1890 - Peter G. Morgan falls ill and dies while visiting his daughter in Lawrenceville. He is buried next to his wife at People’s Memorial Cemetery, in Petersburg.
References
Further Reading
External Links
Cite This Entry
- APA Citation:
Stanley, P. W., & the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Peter G. Morgan (1817–1890). (2018, April 19). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Morgan_Peter_G_1817-1890.
- MLA Citation:
Stanley, Philip W. and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "Peter G. Morgan (1817–1890)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, 19 Apr. 2018. Web. READ_DATE.
First published: January 23, 2015 | Last modified: April 19, 2018