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Sir
William Morgan
KCMG
Sir William Morgan KCMG
14th Premier of South Australia
	In office; 27 September 1878 – 24 June 1881
Monarch	Victoria
Governor	Sir William Jervois
Preceded by	James Boucaut
Succeeded by	John Bray
Chief Secretary of South Australia
	In office; 3 June 1875 – 25 March 1876
Premier	James Boucaut
Preceded by	Arthur Blyth
Succeeded by	George Hawker
	In office; 26 October 1877 – 24 June 1881
Premier	James Boucaut (until 1878)
Preceded by	Henry Ayers
Succeeded by	John Bray
Personal details
Born	12 September 1828; Wilshamstead, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
Died	2 November 1883 (aged 55); Brighton, Sussex, United Kingdom
Spouse	Harriett Matthews

Sir William Morgan KCMG (12 September 1828 – 2 November 1883) was the Premier of South Australia between 1878 and 1881.^[1]

Early life

William Morgan was born in Wilshamstead, Bedfordshire, England, the son of George Morgan, a farmer, and his wife Sarah Morgan (née Horne).^[1] Educated at Bedford Modern School,^[2] Morgan emigrated to South Australia, arriving in Port Adelaide on 13 February 1849 in the Glenelg. Initially he worked on land near the Murray River, his life was saved by an Indigenous Australian named Ranembe, whose name Morgan gave later to one of his sons. Then Morgan worked for Boord Brothers grocers; and at the beginning of 1852 he went to the Victorian gold rush. He had modest success, returned to Adelaide, and with a brother he purchased the Boord's business, establishing William Morgan & Co. and made it a successful enterprise. In 1865 he became a founder of the Bank of Adelaide.^[1] He founded, with Charles Hawkes Todd Connor and William Dening Glyde the firm of Morgan, Connor & Glyde, wheat and flour merchants of 43 King William Street. Glyde's brother Samuel Dening Glyde joined the company and soon became a partner.^[3] In 1882 they joined a consortium, the Adelaide Milling and Mercantile Company, with John Hart & Co., W. Duffield & Co., James Cowan & Co. and Harrold Brothers; Morgan was their foundation chairman.^[4]

Political career

Morgan was elected to the South Australian Legislative Council in August 1867, and was chief secretary in the second James Boucaut government from June 1875 to March 1876. He was chief secretary again in the fourth Boucaut ministry from October 1877 to September 1878, and when Boucaut became a judge, Morgan reconstructed the ministry and on 27 September 1878 became premier and chief secretary.^[5] This ministry was in office for nearly three years but it did not have an easy passage. One important measure passed was that providing deep drainage for Adelaide, the first city in Australia to have a proper sewerage system. A public trustee act was passed, and there was some railway extension, but other bills were rejected by the council.^[6]

Late life

Pressure of private business, including bad investments in New Caledonia, resulted in Morgan's resignation on 24 June 1881, and the John Bray ministry came in. He was created K.C.M.G. in 1883. In May that year Morgan left Australia on a visit to England and he died suddenly on 2 November at Brighton, Sussex,^[7] aged 55.

Morgan was a self-made man who had liberal opinions. He was an avid free-trader who held that protective duties taxed the people least able to bear the burden. He was an excellent speaker, able administrator and might have had a more important place in South Australian politics if he had lived longer.

Family

On 8 July 1854 Morgan married Harriett, daughter of Thomas Matthews of Hurd's Hill, Coromandel Valley; together they had nine children.^[1] Harriet survived him with two sons and two daughters, including:

Dr. Alexander Matheson Morgan MB (11 February 1867 – 18 October 1934) was a noted ornithologist. He married Myrtle Dutton Green, daughter of George Dutton Green, on 11 October 1905.

William Matheson Morgan (9 November 1906 – 2 February 1972) mining engineer^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Morgan, E. J. R. (1974). "Morgan, Sir William (1828–1883)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 5. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. pp. 288–289. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
^ School Of The Black And Red-A History Of Bedford Modern School, by Andrew Underwood (1981)
^ "Advertising". The Evening Journal. 28 February 1880. p. 4. Retrieved 3 September 2015 – via Trove.
^ "Advertising". South Australian Register. 1 August 1882. p. 2. Retrieved 3 September 2015 – via Trove. This was the largest company registered in South Australia up to that time.
^ "Hon Sir William Morgan KCMG". Former members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
^ Serle, Percival (1949). "Morgan, William". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
^ Harris, Charles Alexander (1894). "Morgan, William (1829–1883)" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 39. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
^ Stewart, E. D. J. (2000). "Morgan, William Matheson (1906–1972)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 5 September 2015.

Parliament of South Australia
Preceded by Thomas Magarey	Member of the South Australian Legislative Council 1867 – 1884 Served alongside: Multiple Members	Succeeded by William Simms
Political offices
Preceded by Arthur Blyth	Chief Secretary of South Australia 1875 – 1876	Succeeded by George Hawker
Preceded by Henry Ayers	Chief Secretary of South Australia 1877 – 1881	Succeeded by John Bray
Preceded by James Boucaut	Premier of South Australia 1878 – 1881	Succeeded by John Bray