Morgan, Robert, 1925-2016

Senator Robert Burren Morgan was born on 5 October 1925, in Lillington, Harnett County, North Carolina. His parents, James Harvey Morgan and Alice Butts Morgan, were farm owners. Following a public school education, Morgan attended East Carolina University (then East Carolina Teachers College), 1942 – 1944, until he was drafted into the Navy. After World War II ended, Morgan returned to East Carolina Teachers College in 1946, graduating in 1947. He then attended Wake Forest University Law School and, after graduating, in 1950, opened a law practice in Lillington. Morgan specialized in personal injury, real property and antitrust law and soon had a thriving practice. Meanwhile, he was also becoming involved in politics. While he was still in law school, a group of Harnett County Democratic leaders convinced him to run for Clerk of Superior Court. Morgan did so, was elected and served from 1950 – 1954. He service was interrupted when he was recalled to active duty in the Navy during the Korean War, 1952 – 1955. After returning to civilian life, Morgan continued to serve in the Naval Reserve until 1971. He then enlisted in the Air Force Reserve and served from 1971 – 1973.

In 1954, Morgan ran successfully for the North Carolina State Senate and was re-elected regularly until 1966. As a state senator from 1955 - 1969 Morgan became a master of the legislative process and quickly rose through the ranks, obtaining the status of President Pro Tempore in 1965. Morgan developed a reputation as a populist advocate for working people and their interests. He was also a strong supporter of agriculture, education, conservation and the environment. He was an advocate for persons with disabilities and mental health care reform.

In the 1968 primary, Morgan defeated incumbent North Carolina Attorney General Wade Bruton to win the Democratic nomination for Attorney General. He then won election as Attorney General and was re-elected in 1972. As Attorney General from 1969 – 1974, Morgan established an innovative consumer protection office and advocated for lower utility rates. He won passage of the “Little FTC Act” to regulate unfair trade practices in North Carolina. One of Morgan’s most notable accomplishments was the reorganization of the Attorney General's office, hiring many new, young lawyers, including the first African-American lawyer to serve in the Attorney General's office. Meanwhile, Morgan also worked to upgrade the training of law enforcement officers and successfully convinced the state legislature to establish a law enforcement training academy and to adopt new standards for officers. In addition, Morgan reformed and modernized the State Bureau of Investigation. While serving as Attorney General, Morgan was also active as a member of the National Association of Attorneys General. In recognition of his national service and for his accomplishments on the state level, the NAAG gave Morgan its Wyman Memorial Award, as the Outstanding Attorney General in the United States in June 1974.

Morgan resigned as Attorney General later in 1974, after winning the Democratic nomination to the United States Senate to succeed retiring Senator Sam J. Ervin. In the general election, he defeated Republican William Stevens by a 61.6% to 37.6% margin. In the Senate, Morgan was named to the important Banking, Armed Services, and Public Works committees; he was also named to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Activities (Watergate Committee) and the Senate Ethics Committee. As a senator, Morgan was a strong supporter of North Carolina agriculture and other interests; he also was active on issues such as education, health, conservation, energy, finance and banking, foreign policy, economic deregulation, taxes and government efficiency. He served as one of the floor leaders of the successful effort to pass the Anti-Trust Enforcement Act of 1978, an unusual role for a freshman senator. Morgan was a strong supporter of President Jimmy Carter’s Panama Canal Treaty and the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. The Panama Canal Treaty, which passed by a single vote in 1978, became a significant focus of his opponents during the 1980 election. Morgan also served on the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Portrait Gallery Commission.

In the Senate, Morgan continued to support environmental issues, education, mental health, and aid for the disabled. He was also a strong proponent for the Armed Forces, tobacco farmers, and deregulation of the airline, trucking and communication industries. Morgan was narrowly defeated for reelection in 1980 by Professor John East, a member of the ECU Political Science faculty and an ally of North Carolina’s Republican Senator Jesse Helms.

Returning to North Carolina in 1981, Morgan resumed his law career and later served as Director of the State Bureau of Investigation, 1985 - 1992. After leaving the SBI in 1992, Morgan retired from public life but he resumed his law practice and continued to be active in social and civic affairs.

In retirement, Morgan remained active and influential in the affairs of ECU as he had been since graduating in 1947. He served as chair of the Alumni Association board for 1958-1959, and served as a member (1958 – 1973) of the Board of Trustees and as chair for nine terms during the 1960s. He served also as a member of the Board of Trustees for Lees-McRae College, in Banner Elk, NC, from 1974 - 1977. He was an important part of the successful campaign to achieve university status for ECU in 1967 and was instrumental in establishing the Brody School of Medicine. In recognition of his contributions, ECU named Morgan Outstanding Alumnus and awarded him the Jarvis Medal and the Alumni Service Award.

Morgan served as chair of the North Carolina Baptist Retirement Homes and was a Deacon of Memorial Baptist Church in Buies Creek, NC, where he worshipped. His faith informed many of his speeches and he spoke frequently of the importance of freedom of religion, the separation of church and state, and on the importance of religious faith in the nation’s politics.

Morgan married the former Katie Earle Owen in 1960. Mrs. Morgan, also a ECU graduate, was president of the Class of 1946. Together, the Morgans had four children: daughters Margaret Morgan Holmes, Mary Morgan and Alice Jean Morgan (1965-1967), and foster son Rupert C. Tart, Jr. Mrs. Morgan was an active supporter of her husband’s political career and spoke and traveled regularly on his behalf. She was also a lifelong supporter of ECU, served on the Board of Trustees, was named to the ECU Educators Hall of Fame and received the Incredible ECU Women award.

Robert Morgan passed away at age 90, on 16 July 2016, at his home in Lillington, NC.