Edmund Needham Morrill

Edmund Needham Morrill (February 12, 1834 – March 14, 1909) was a U.S. representative from Kansas and the 13th governor of Kansas.

Edmund Needham Morrill
13th Governor of Kansas
In office January 14, 1895 – January 11, 1897
Lieutenant	James Armstrong Troutman
Preceded by	Lorenzo D. Lewelling
Succeeded by	John W. Leedy
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 1st district
In office March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1891
Preceded by	John A. Anderson
Succeeded by	Case Broderick
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's at-large district
In office March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885
Preceded by	William A. Phillips
Succeeded by	seat eliminated
Member of the Kansas Senate
In office 1872
Personal details
Born	(1834-02-12)February 12, 1834 Westbrook, Maine, U.S.
Died	March 14, 1909(1909-03-14) (aged 75) San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Resting place	Mount Hope Cemetery, Hiawatha, Kansas
Party	Republican
Spouses	Elizabeth A. Brettun ​ ​ (m. 1862; died 1868)​ Caroline Jenkins Nash ​ ​ (m. 1869)​
Education	Westbrook Academy
Profession	Soldier, teacher
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States (Union)
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1861 (1861)–1865 (1865)
Rank	Major
Unit	Company C, 7th Kansas Cavalry Regiment
Battles/wars	American Civil War

Biography

Edmund Needham Morrill was born in Westbrook, Maine, to Rufus and Mary (Webb) Morrill. He attended the common schools at Westbrook Academy and learned the trade of tanning from his father. At the age of 23, he moved to Kansas.

In 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company C, 7th Kansas Cavalry. Within a year, he was a captain, and by 1865 he was a major.

After the Civil War, he entered the banking business and remained in that business for the rest of his life.

Morrill married twice, first to Elizabeth A. Brettum whom he married on November 27, 1862. Elizabeth died November 1868 at Hiawatha, Kansas. Morrill's second wife was Caroline Jenkins Nash, whom he married December 25, 1869. They had three children, all born at Hiawatha.

In 1866, he was elected clerk of the district court. In 1872, he was elected to the Kansas Senate. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1882, serving four two-year terms before declining another, announcing instead his retirement from politics. Nevertheless, at the urging of his friends, he accepted the nomination for governor of Kansas in 1894 and served one term, being defeated in 1896.

In 1894, The Advocate newspaper exposed several questionable land deals that Morrill orchestrated in connection with the Denver City railroad company. Morrill's tax records show he purposely misrepresented his assessment on property to avoided paying taxes that he had taken from victims of his land schemes. He was called, "the most cold-blooded schemer that ever posed for public favors".^[1]

Morrill died March 14, 1909, in San Antonio, Texas, and is buried in Hiawatha's Mount Hope Cemetery.^[2]