David L. Morril Explained

David Lawrence Morril
Jr/Sr:United States Senator
State:New Hampshire
Term Start:March 4, 1817
Term End:March 3, 1823
Preceded:Thomas W. Thompson
Succeeded:Samuel Bell
Order2:10th Governor of New Hampshire
Term Start2:June 3, 1824
Term End2:June 7, 1827
Preceded2:Levi Woodbury
Succeeded2:Benjamin Pierce
Order3:Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
Term End3:1816
Preceded3:George B. Upham
Succeeded3:Henry B. Chase
Order4:Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
Term Start4:1808
Term End4:1816
Birth Date:10 June 1772
Birth Place:Epping, Province of New Hampshire, British America
Death Place:Concord, New Hampshire, U.S.
Party:Democratic-Republican
Spouse:Jane Wallace, Lydia Poore
Children:Four
Alma Mater:Dartmouth College
University of Vermont (J.D.)

David Lawrence Morril (June 10, 1772January 28, 1849) was an American politician, attorney, physician and minister. He served as a U.S. Senator for New Hampshire from 1817 to 1823, and was the tenth governor of New Hampshire, serving from 1824 until 1827.

Early life

Morril was born to Samuel and Anna (Lawrence) Morril in Epping in the Province of New Hampshire on June 10, 1772. He graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy and Dartmouth College, and later received his law degree from the University of Vermont.

He worked as a clergyman, called to the Congregational Presbyterian Church in 1802 in Goffstown, New Hampshire, where he served for years.

Political career

In 1808, Morril was elected as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives; he served until 1816. In his last term in 1816, he was elected by the House as Speaker.

The legislature elected him as the U.S. Senator from New Hampshire in 1817, and he served until 1823.

In 1824 Morril was elected as Governor of New Hampshire, serving from June 3, 1824, to June 7, 1827. In the 1824 election, Morril received the most votes; however, because he failed to win a majority of the votes cast, the election had to be decided by the legislature. Morril was elected by a vote of 163 to 43 during a joint meeting of the New Hampshire legislature. In the 1825 election, Morril ran unopposed; in the 1826 election, Morril defeated his opponent Benjamin Pierce by 5,392 votes. In the 1827 election, Morril was defeated by Pierce by an overwhelming margin: Benjamin Pierce won 21,166 votes out of 27,411 cast.

Personal life

Morril was married twice to Jane Wallace & Lydia Poore, whom he had four children with. He is buried in the Old North Cemetery, Concord, New Hampshire, near the grave of President Franklin Pierce.[1] [2]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2017-01-03 . David Lawrence Morril . 2024-04-11 . National Governors Association.
  2. Web site: Franklin Pierce Homestead--Presidents: A Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary . 2024-04-11 . www.nps.gov.