Justice for All - by Michael J Hightower (Paperback)

About the Book

Justice for All chronicles the life of Dick T. Morgan, a founding father of Oklahoma known for his commitment to fairness in a deeply divided Gilded Age America. Arriving in Oklahoma's Unassigned Lands with the first wave of settlers in 1889, Morgan gained a reputation as a leading lawyer in land disputes, built a real estate business, and promoted church-building across Oklahoma Territory. Serving in Congress from 1909 to 1920, he helped establish key Progressive Era institutions like the Federal Reserve, Federal Trade Commission, and Federal Farm Credit System. His ability to work across party lines offers a valuable lesson for today's polarized politics. Morgan's great-grandsons, David and Kenyon, spearheaded this biography, retracing his legacy and bringing his contributions to light, revealing a man deeply committed to public service, education, and the values of home, church, and school.

Book Synopsis

Justice for All chronicles the career of Dick T. Morgan, an Oklahoma founding father whose public service reflects a passion for fairness that was sorely lacking in Gilded Age America. After arriving in the Unassigned Lands (later, central Oklahoma) with the first wave of non-Indian settlers on April 22, 1889, Morgan developed a reputation as the go-to lawyer for land disputes, built a substantial real estate business, and promoted church-building across Oklahoma Territory. During his tenure in Congress from 1909 until his death in 1920, he helped create institutions that were central to progressivism in the post-frontier period and have shaped modern America, including the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Farm Credit System.

Morgan's adeptness in working across the aisle in a perpetually divided Congress serves as a wake-up call to politicians in thrall to ideology and identity politics at the expense of the public welfare. His speeches, publications, correspondence, newspaper interviews, and congressional testimonies reveal him as a public servant whose bedrock principles were rooted in the Republican Party--that is, the party of Lincoln. In both public and private life, Morgan demonstrated a deep allegiance to what one of his role models, President James A. Garfield, defined as the heart and soul of the nation and the basis of a free government: the church, the school, and the home.

Justice for All owes its existence to Dick T. Morgan's great-grandsons, David and Kenyon Morgan, who resolved to rescue their ancestor from a century of undeserved obscurity. Traveling, literally and figuratively, in their great-grandfather's footsteps, the Morgan brothers combined their talents in a journey of discovery that helped this biographer illuminate the Progressive Era through the experiences of a native Hoosier who became one of his adopted state's most beloved and influential citizens.

Also included is a 24" x 28" sectional map of Oklahoma Territory that Dick T. Morgan sold to homesteaders to help them file their claims.

Distributed on behalf of 2 Cities Press.

Review Quotes

"Hightower's work effectively contextualizes broader national and state political trends of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era through the life of Morgan. The work draws on several archival collections, newspapers, personal and political correspondence, as well as family archives and integral contributions from Morgan's descendants. Hightower's work engages with legal, political, religious, state, and settler history. While obviously important for those interested in Oklahoma territorial and state history, the work is also useful for those interested in the multifaceted connections between the "common man," their representatives, and shifting politics during a time, and in a place, characterized by drastic changes."--Western Historical Quarterly

"This book is a marvelous addition to any Oklahoma history buff's library, and Hightower has once again proven to be engaging and informative in his prose. People unfamiliar with Morgan's life before reading this book will come away wishing we had a few more elected officials like him."--Journal of American History

"This book is a marvelous addition to any Oklahoma history buff's library, and Hightower has once again proven to be engaging and informative in his prose. People unfamiliar with Morgan's life before reading this book will come away wishing we had a few more elected officials like him." - Trait Thompson, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, for the Chronicles of Oklahoma