Morton McMichael | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of Philadelphia | |
| In office January 1, 1866 – January 1, 1869 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Henry |
| Succeeded by | Daniel M. Fox |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1807-10-02)October 2, 1807 Bordentown, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | January 6, 1879(1879-01-06) (aged 71) |
| Resting place | Laurel Hill Cemetery |
| Party | Jacksonian Democrat Democrat Whig Republican |
| Spouse | Mary Estell |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
| Profession | Newspaper publisher |
Morton McMichael (October 2, 1807 – January 6, 1879) was an American newspaper editor, publisher, civic leader and mayor ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania from 1866 to 1869.
He worked as the editor ofThe Saturday Evening Post andGodey's Lady's Book and as editor-in-chief of theSaturday Courier. He co-founded theSaturday Gazette and was publisher ofThe North American. He chaired the Executive Consolidation Committee that developed theAct of Consolidation of 1854 to expand the borders of the city of Philadelphia and include all ofPhiladelphia County. He served as president of theFairmount Park Commission.
McMichael Park, Morton McMichael Elementary School and the McMichael Room in the Philadelphia Union League are all named in his honor.
McMichael was born on October 2, 1807, inBurlington County, New Jersey, to John and Hannah McMichael. His father was a soldier during theWar of 1812[1] and worked withJoseph Bonaparte, the older brother ofNapoleon Bonaparte and former King of Spain.[2]
His family moved to Philadelphia when he was young and he attended theUniversity of Pennsylvania. He read law under David Paul Brown andWilliam M. Meredith[3] and was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1827,[2] but never practiced law.[4]
McMichael became an editor ofThe Saturday Evening Post in 1826. From 1831 to 1836 he was editor-in-chief of theSaturday Courier. In 1836 he founded theSaturday News along withLouis A. Godey and Joseph C. Neal.[1] He worked as the editor ofGodey's Lady's Book from 1842 to 1844.[3] He published theSaturday Gazette with Joseph C. Neal from 1844 to 1847. At the age of 39, he partnered withGeorge Rex Graham for the publication ofThe North American. McMichael led the merger of theUnited States Gazette into the North American which also broughtRobert Montgomery Bird into the organization as editor. Graham left the paper in 1848 and McMichael and Bird built the North American into a success.[5]
The paper grew to prominence and McMichael became sole publisher in 1854 when co-owner Robert Montgomery Bird died. He remained publisher until his own death in 1879, though his sons took over active operations in his final years.[6][7]
McMichael served in a number of political positions throughout his life. He began his service as a policemagistrate and then as anAlderman in theSpring Garden neighborhood of Philadelphia.[6] As an Alderman, he also served asJustice of the peace for the County of Philadelphia.[1]
During the 1837 anti-abolition riots in Philadelphia, McMichael helped break up a mob and prevent the burning of an African-American orphanage.[8]
McMichael began his political career in 1838 as aJacksonian Democrat but drifted away from that ideology and became aDemocrat, aWhig in 1843[9] and aRepublican in 1857.[10] McMichael was attracted to the Republicans' strong stance on high tariffs and less so on their abolitionist beliefs.[11]
In 1843 he was electedSheriff of Philadelphia County, serving until 1846.[1] McMichael served his three-year term as Sheriff during thePhiladelphia nativist riots and helped prevent further violence.
In 1854, McMichael chaired the Executive Consolidation Committee, which developed the Consolidation Act of 1854 that merged the city of Philadelphia with many of the surrounding districts into a single political entity.[12] His newspaper also argued for a new street numbering system to replace the city’s confusing address system, which often numbered houses in the order they were built rather than by location and resulted in fractional house numbers along streets.[13]
Thoroughout theAmerican Civil War, He saw the succession of the South as treason and that slavery was incompatible with re-consolidation of the Union and Confederacy. After the assassination of Lincoln, he became a strong advocate for Republicanism and anti-slavery.[14]
In 1865, McMichael defeated DemocratDaniel M. Fox by 5,000 votes and was elected as the Mayor of Philadelphia.[15] While he was mayor, theFairmount Park Commission was established. McMichael served on the board and, once his term ended in 1869, was appointed as president of the commission, serving until his death.[16]
He was offered a position as minister to Great Britain by PresidentUlysses S. Grant but declined.[17]
In 1873 he was appointed a delegate at large to the fourth Constitutional convention of Pennsylvania. This resulted in the establishment of thePennsylvania Constitution of 1874.[18]
McMichael married Mary Estell (1822-1877) and had four children:
He was elected as a member of theAmerican Philosophical Society in 1867.[21] He served as president of theUnion League afterHorace Binney.[6]
McMichael died on January 6, 1879, as a result of inflammatory rheumatism[6] and was interred atLaurel Hill Cemetery.[22]
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A statue of McMichael, unveiled in 1882, sits in Philadelphia'sFairmount Park at Sedgely Drive and Lemon Hill Drive.[23]
Several things in Philadelphia were named in his honor, including:
Citations
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| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Mayor of Philadelphia 1866–1869 | Succeeded by |
Mayors ofPhiladelphia (chronologically) | ||
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| Colonial era (1691–1776) |
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| Pre-Act of Consolidation (1789–1854) | ||
| Post-Consolidation (since 1854) | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
