Morehouse, Albert Pickett
(1835-1891)
Albert P. Morehouse was born on July 11, 1835, in Delaware County, Ohio, the son of Stephen Morehouse, a native of Newark County, New Jersey, and Harriett Wood Morehouse, a native of New York and the daughter of Russell Wood, who also later settled in Delaware county, Ohio. Albert's education was limited, but at age eighteen he began teaching school in Ohio, and in 1856 moved to Nodaway County, Missouri, where he continued teaching and studied law. In 1860 he was admitted to the bar, begining practice in Montgomery County, Iowa.
When the Civil War began Morehouse moved back to Nodaway County and was a schoolteacher in the Graham area. In November 1861 he enlisted in Colonel Kimball's Six-Month Militia for the Union side and was elected as first lieutenant of Company E, made up of Nodaway County men. After the six-month period expired, Morehouse enrolled in the Thirty-sixth Enrolled Missouri Militia, Company G, and was promoted to assistant provost marshal in 1862, and finally to quartermaster sergeant.
While the militia was camped in Lafayette County, Missouri, Morehouse and his men visited the McFadden farmhouse where the daughter provided the soldiers with food and even made tea for them. Morehouse was struck by the beauty of Mattie McFadden, and she, in turn, was attracted to the tall, handsome lieutenant. The couple corresponded, kept in touch during the war, and were married in 1865, in Lexington, Missouri. They had three children, Nannie, Anna, and Edwin.
Enrollment in the Thirty-sixth Militia permitted Morehouse to remain in Maryville, where he joined Amos Graham in law practice. By 1871 Morehouse had a full-fledged real estate business in Nodaway County, plus he was actively engaged in politics, especially through his newspaper, the Nodaway Democrat. In 1872 he was delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Baltimore, and 1876 to the Democratic Nation Convention in St. Louis.
In 1876 Morehouse ran for the state legislature and won, unseating H. M. Jackson by 197 votes. During the January 1877 session, he sent a letter to his newspaper stating that the "legislative mill grinds slow," and Jefferson City was dull and gloomy.
Again, in 1882, Morehouse ran a successful campaign for representative. His public service and contacts in Jefferson City were groundwork for the next step, Lieutenant governor. He shared the 2884 Democratic ticket with John S. Marmaduke, and they readily carried the state. As lieutenant governor, Morehouse became the presiding officer of the Senate in January 1885. Governor Marmaduke died in office in December 1887, and Morehouse became the governor of Missouri on January 3, 1888, serving out the remainder of the term.
In 1888, Morehouse became a candidate for governor and had strong support in northwest Missouri. However David R. Francis received the Democratic nomination, Morehouse left Jefferson City and returned to Maryville where he again entered the real estate business, this time with Nat Sission.
The county was shocked on September 23rd, 1891, when they learned of the death of Morehouse. He had just assisted in driving some cattle from near Ravenwoood to his Barnard farm, and became overheated. The next day he was ill and was so delirious that watchers were called in. When daughter Nannie left her father alone for just a breif moment, he took his own life. Dr. Koch listed the death as delirium caused by sunstroke and compounded b typhoid fever. A. P. Morehouse is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Maryville, with a "governor " Marker for a headstone.
Thomas W. Carneal
Cooper, Martha. The Civil War and Nodaway County Parts 1 and 2. Signal Mountain Tenn. Mountain Press 1989
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: Black History of Nodaway County, Maryville, Mo., Accent Printing 1986
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Messages and Proclamations of the Governors of the State of Missouri
Volume VII 1926
Albert P. Morehouse
by Nathaniel Sisson Pages 145-147
The subject of this sketch, the eldest of a family of eight, was the son of Stephen Morehouse, Jr., a native of Newark county, New Jersey, and of Harriett Wood Morehouse, daughter of Russell Wood, a native of New York. At an early date Stephen Morehouse settled in Delware county, Ohio, in which county Albert P. Morehouse was born July 11th, 1835. He was reared on a farm, educated in the public schools, and in his eighteenth year qualified as a school teacher. He came with his father and family to Nodaway county, Missouri, in the year 1856. His father, afterwards known as Judge Morehouse, settled upon a fine farm of 320 acres located some eight or nine miles north of Maryville.
The Morehouse family was among the pioneer settlers. The country all about their homestead for miles was wild, uninhabited prairie, interspersed with groves of timber along the streams. Only here and there was a settler's log cabin and scarcely a fenced farm, as all fences then had to be made from rails split from timber of oak, hickory and black walnut found in the occasional groves. At this period and for several years thereafter the country abounded in wild game, deer, turkey and prairie chickens. Stephen Morehouse, his father, being a man of mature years and of sound judgement was called upon by the people to serve in various public offices. He was elected county judge in 1858 and judge of probate of the county in 1874. Albert P. having qualified as a teacher, followed that occupation for a time, also industriously applying himself in reading law. In 1860 he was admitted to the bar, and immediately entered upon the practice of his profession in Montgomery county, Iowa. Returning to Missouri in 1861, he was commissioned to a first lieutenant in Colonel Kimball's regiment of Enrolled Militia, in which he served unitl its disbandment.
In 1862 he formed a law partnership with Colonel Amos Graham, one of the pioneers and a leading citizen of the county, whose wife, Mary Graham, was honored by the naming of Maryville, the county seat. For the establishment of the institution at Maryville which became the Northwest Missouri State Teachers College, Morehouse was an ardent laborer, both when representative and when lieutenant governor. While this institution was not established until after his death, nevertheless much credit is due his memory for his zealous advocacy when opportunity presented.
His founding of the Nodaway Democrat at Maryville, in 1869, illustrates in a marked degree the generous character of his mind. At the close of the Civil war, the people of the State adopted a new Constitution, which disqualified from voting all citizens except the old unconditional Union men. Many of Missouri's othewise good citizens found themselves disfranchised. This condition gave rise to the necessity of a change in the Constitution to enable these people to participate in their local public affairs. In the advocacy of this change, Morehouse established his newspaper. This move illustrates well a leading characteristic of the man. He was sympathetic and generous throughout his whole career and practiced charity and good fellowship.
The question of re-enfranchisement came squarely before the people of the State by the submission of a constitutional amendment at the election of 1870. The amendment was adopted. Naturally the popularity and prestige of the paper and its editor was enhanced. From this time the local political leadership of Morehouse went unquestioned. He was sent as a delegate to the national convention at Baltimore in 1872, again at St. Louis in 1876, representative of his county in the General Assembly in 1877-1878, and again in 1883-1884. In 1884 he was elected lieutenant governor on the ticket with John S. Marmaduke, thereby becoming the presiding officer of the State Senate. In this position he won an enviable reputation by his wise selection of committees and his fair and impartial rulings.
Upon the death of Governor Marmaduke in December 1887, he succeeded to the office of governor, serving out the unexpired term of Marmaduke. He proved a wise and excellent chief executive, winning the plaudits of all good citizens.
Albert P. Morehouse was married in 1865 to Miss Mattie McFadden, of Lexington, Missouri. From this union there were born three children, Nannie, who married Archie D. Neale, an attorney at Chetopa, Kansas, where they now reside; Anna, who married W.W. Gitting, both now deceased; and Edwin V. now deceased. The wife and mother died at Maryville on January 10th, 1900.
In 1865, upon the death of Colonel Graham, his law partner, Morehouse formed a law and real estate partnership with Mathew G. Roseberry, who was later elected to the State Senate. Soon thereafter they relinquished the practice of law and Roseberry retired. Morehouse continued the real estate and abstract business, and added a farm loan business. In 1875, Nathaniel Sisson, a young civil engineer, and Hart C. Fisher, president of the Farmers Bank joined him under the firm name of Morehouse, Sisson & Co. During this period Morehouse assisted in organizing the Nordaway County Agricultural and Mechanical Association, and became its secretary and general manager.
After his retirement from public life in 1889 Governor Morehouse devoted himself to his farming operations. In September 1891, while driving cattle he suffered from heat prostration and ruptured a blood vessel of the brain. He later became delirious and fearing that his ailment might lead to insanity, he took his life on September 23rd.