Edward Joy Morris (July 16, 1815 – December 31, 1881) was an American politician and diplomat. He served as a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district from 1843 to 1845 and as a Republican member for Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district from 1857 to 1861. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1841 to 1842 and again in 1856. He served as United States Chargé d'affaires to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from 1850 to 1853 and as Minister Resident to the Ottoman Empire from 1861 to 1870.

Edward Joy Morris
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office
1841–1842
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 1st district
In office
1843–1845
Preceded byCharles Brown
Succeeded byLewis Charles Levin
United States Chargé d'Affaires to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
In office
April 4, 1850 – August 25, 1853
PresidentMillard Fillmore
Preceded byJohn Rowan
Succeeded byRobert Dale Owen
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office
1856–1856
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 2nd district
In office
1857–1861
Preceded byJob Roberts Tyson
Succeeded byCharles John Biddle
United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
In office
October 22, 1861 – October 25, 1870
PresidentAbraham Lincoln
Preceded byJames Williams
Succeeded byWayne MacVeagh
Personal details
Born(1815-07-16)July 16, 1815
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedDecember 31, 1881(1881-12-31) (aged 66)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting placeLaurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyWhig, Republican
Alma materHarvard University, University of Pennsylvania

Early life and education

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Morris was born on July 16, 1815, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended the common schools and the University of Pennsylvania. He left the University of Pennsylvania in his freshman year and graduated from Harvard University in 1836.[1] He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1842 and practiced in Philadelphia.[2]

Career

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He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1841 to 1843.[3] He was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-eighth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1844.[2]

He was appointed Chargé d'affaires to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies on January 20, 1850, and served from April 4, 1850 to August 26, 1853.[4] He was a member of the board of directors of Girard College in Philadelphia, and served a second time as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1856.[3]

Morris was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth, Thirty-sixth, and Thirty-seventh Congresses and served until his resignation. He was appointed Minister Resident to the Ottoman Empire by Abraham Lincoln[5] and served from June 8, 1861, to October 25, 1870.[4]

He wrote several books on his travels including Notes of a Tour through Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Arabia Petræa, to the Holy Land in 1842. He was fluent in French, German and Italian,[1] and translated several books from German including Alfred De Besse's The Turkish Empire, Social and Political (1854); Theodor Mügge's Afraja, or Life and Love in Norway (1854); and Ferdinand Gregorovius' Corsica, Picturesque, Historical, and Social (1856).[6]

He died on December 31, 1881, in Philadelphia[2] and was interred in Laurel Hill Cemetery.[7]

Publications

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References

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Citations

  1. ^ a b Marraro, Howard R. (October 1945). "Edward Joy Morris' Mission to Naples (1850-1853)". Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies. 12 (4): 270–291. JSTOR 27766672. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Morris Edward Joy 1815-1881". www.bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Edward Joy Morris". www.archives.house.state.pa.us. Archives Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Edward Joy Morris". history.state.gov. Office of the Historian, United States Department of State. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  5. ^ "Abraham Lincoln Appoints the Arabist Edward Joy Morris as Minister Resident to Turkey". shapell.org. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John (1898). Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton and Company. p. 412. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "Edward Joy Morris". www.remembermyjourney.com. Retrieved September 1, 2023.

Sources

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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Preceded by
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
1841–1842
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
1856
Succeeded by
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district

1843–1845
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district

1857–1861
Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Chargé d'affaires to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
1850–1853
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister Resident to the Ottoman Empire
1861–1870
Succeeded by