Morse, Josiah, 1879-1946

College professor and department head, 1911-1946, of the Dept. of Psychology and Philosophy at University of South Carolina; native of Richmond, Va.; originally named Josiah Moses, he changed his name in 1907 during a period of unemployment, which inspired him to pen what is believed to be the first article on prejudice by an American psychologist; Morse received his BA and MA degrees from Richmond College; and in 1904, he received a Ph.D. in philosophy from Clark University (Worchester, Mass.); Morse began teaching at USC in 1911 as a professor and the lone member of the Department of Philosophy. He served as a one-man department for a number of years and later broadened the department's curriculum to include psychology, teaching courses on the psychology of religion and race relations in the South among many others.

From the description of Josiah Morse papers, 1940-1942. (University of South Carolina). WorldCat record id: 666513394