Davidson College. President (1836-1840 : Morrison)

Robert Hall Morrison, 1798-1889, was the first President of Davidson College serving from 1836 to 1840. A graduate of the University of North Carolina (1818), Morrison was licensed as a Presbyterian minister by the Concord Presbytery in 1820. He founded the North Carolina Telegram, the first religious gazette in the South while in Fayetteville in 1822. He was pastor of Sugar Creek Presbyterian Church from 1827 until accepting the presidency of Davidson College. During his tenure as president, Morrison also taught mathematics and science courses. He left Davidson due to ill health and retired to a Lincoln County farm, Cottage Home. He returned to preaching in 1842 and became known as one of the best preachers in N.C. Morrison remained interested in the college, serving its Board of Trustees from 1852 to 1874.