Francis Asbury Morris

Francis Asbury Morris
Texas Attorney General
In office
May 10, 1841 – December 13, 1841
Preceded byJames Webb
Succeeded byGeorge Whitfield Terrell
Personal details
Born(1817-09-03)September 3, 1817
Marietta, Ohio, US
DiedSeptember 24, 1881(1881-09-24) (aged 64)
St. Louis, Missouri, US
Resting placeBellefontaine Cemetery
ParentThomas Asbury Morris (father)
OccupationLawyer, politician, pastor

Francis Asbury Morris (September 3, 1817 – September 24, 1881) was an American lawyer, politician, and pastor. He served as Texas Attorney General, later becoming a Methodist circuit rider in Missouri.

Biography

Morris was born on September 3, 1817, in Marietta, Ohio,[1] the second child born to[2] bishop Thomas Asbury Morris[3] and Abigail (née Scales) Morris. He read law and was admitted to the bar, and in the late 1830s, moved to Texas. President Mirabeau B. Lamar appointed him[1] the interim Texas Attorney General,[4] which he served as from May 10, 1841, to December 13 of the same year,[1] leaving office alongside the election of Sam Houston.[4]

In 1842, Morris became the professor of ancient languages at the St. Charles College, in St. Charles, Missouri.[1][3] He subsequently became a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1845, when the St. Louis Methodist Conference was founded, he worked as a circuit rider across Missouri.[1] He retired from circuit riding in 1882.[5]

On October 15, 1845, Morris married Mary Fielding,[1] with whom he had one child.[2] He died on September 24, 1881, aged 64, in St. Louis, and was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Smyrl, Vivian Elizabeth. "Francis Asbury Morris: Attorney General and Clergyman of Texas". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Bishop, Janette Beeler (1974). Morris & Jarretts of West Virginia. The Authors. pp. 78, 79.
  3. 1 2 The American Illustrated Methodist Magazine. Methodist Magazine Publishing Company. 1899. pp. 600, 601.
  4. 1 2 "2025 Journal" (PDF). 2025. p. 26.
  5. ↑ Woodard, W. S. (1893). Annals of Methodism in Missouri. E. W. Stephens. p. 235.
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