Robert James Morgan
b. 25 July 1918, d. 2 January 2010
- Robert James Morgan was born on 25 July 1918 in Port Jervis, Orange County, New York.
- He married Naomie MacPherson Pegues, daughter of Sarius Olivia Pegues and Naomi Mitchell Simons, on 4 August 1943 in Cheraw, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, at Saint David's Episcopal Church.
- Robert James Morgan became a widower at the 19 November 2004 death of his wife Naomie MacPherson Pegues.
- Robert James Morgan died on 2 January 2010 at age 91 in Bryan, Brazos County, Texas, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.
- The following appeared in the Charlottesville Daily Progress: Robert J. Morgan, a former professor of government at the University of Virginia, died Saturday, January 2, 2010, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Bryan, Texas. He was 91.
He was born on July 25, 1918, in Port Jervis, New York, to Gideon L. Morgan and Florence Dailey Morgan.
Mr. Morgan was predeceased by his parents, and his stepmother, Mable L. Morgan; his wife, Naomie P. Morgan; his brother, Howard E. Morgan and his sister, Dorcas J. Morgan.
He is survived by his sister, Ruth M. Bartell of Scottsdale, Arizona; his son, C. Richard Morgan and his wife, Stacy, of Miami, Florida; his daughter, Jacquelyn Padfield of Brenham, Texas; grandchildren, Jeffrey Morgan and his wife, Amy, of Alexandria, Virginia, Matthew Morgan of Washington, D.C. and Amanda Katherine Morgan of Charlottesville, Virginia; and one great-grandchild, Jonathan Grant Morgan of Alexandria, Virginia.
Mr. Morgan grew up in Suffern, New York, where he graduated from high school in 1936. He attended Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in June 1940. In 1951, he earned a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Virginia, where he graduated with honors and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and the Raven Society.
On August 4, 1943, Mr. Morgan married Naomie McPherson Pegues in St. David's Episcopal Church in Cheraw, South Carolina. They were married for 61 years until her death in November 2004.
Immediately following his graduation from college, Mr. Morgan enlisted in the United States Army as a second lieutenant. He served in various posts both domestically and abroad in the European theater during World War II. He was a field artillery officer during the Battle of the Bulge during December 1944. He left active duty in December 1946 as a major and retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1964.
Mr. Morgan's first teaching assignment was in the Department of Government at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. In 1957, Mr. Morgan was invited to return to the University of Virginia as a Visiting Professor. He spent the remainder of his teaching career as a member of the faculty in the Department of Government and Foreign Affairs at the University until his retirement in 1989.
Mr. Morgan was for many years, director of the Honors Program in the Dept. of Government and Foreign Affairs. In 1996, former students of that program established the Robert J. Morgan Endowment for Government and Foreign Affairs Honors Fund. Mr. Morgan was the author of several books including: "A Whig Embattled: The Presidency Under John Tyler" (1954), "Governing Soil Conservation" (commissioned by Resources for the Future, 1965) and "James Madison On the Constitution and the Bill of Rights" (1988).
The family suggests that memorials be made to: Trinity Medical Center Foundation, 700 Medical Parkway, Brenham, TX 77833; Hospice Brazos Valley, 302 East Blue Bell Road, Brenham, TX 77833; or The Robert J. Morgan Endowment for Government and Foreign Affairs Honors Fund, The University of Virginia, Attn: Melanie Benjamin, 400 Ray C. Hunt Drive, Suite 100, Charlottesville, VA 22904.
It was Mr. Morgan's wish that he be cremated and his ashes, along with those of his late wife, cast in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. No memorial service is planned.
Arrangements are in the care of Brenham Memorial Chapel, 2300 Stringer Street, Brenham, TX 77833. - The following appeared in the Spring 2010 issue of UVa Magazine: In Memoriam . . . Robert J. Morgan (Col ’51 A/M) of Charlottesville died Jan. 2, 2010. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was a field artillery officer during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. At the University, Mr. Morgan was a member of the Raven Society. He taught in the department of government at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. In 1957, Mr. Morgan returned to the University of Virginia and spent his career as a member of the faculty in the department of government and foreign affairs. He was director of the honors program for his department for many years. After his retirement in 1989, former students established the Robert J. Morgan Endowment. Mr. Morgan published several books, including A Whig Embattled: The Presidency Under John Tyler, Governing Soil Conservation and James Madison on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Survivors include a son, C. Richard Morgan (Grad ’73, Law ’79 L/M); and a granddaughter, Amanda K. Morgan (Col ’11). Memorial contributions may be made to the Robert J. Morgan Endowment for Government and Foreign Affairs Honors Fund, The University of Virginia, Attn: Melanie Benjamin, 400 Ray C. Hunt Drive, Suite 100, Charlottesville, VA 22904.
- Last Edited: 11 Aug 2015