Representative Oliver Andrew Morse

Oliver Andrew Morse (March 26, 1815 – April 20, 1870) was an American politician and attorney who served one term in the United States House of Representatives from New York. A member of the Republican Party, he participated in the legislative process during a significant period in American history, representing the interests of his constituents in the pre–Civil War era. He was also a founding member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, originally organized as a literary society.

Morse was born in Cherry Valley, Otsego County, New York, on March 26, 1815. He was the son of Mary G. Morse and James O. Morse, an attorney and judge, which placed him in a family closely connected to the legal profession and public affairs. His uncle, William M. Oliver, served as a congressman from New York and as acting lieutenant governor of New York, providing an additional familial link to state and national politics. Growing up in this environment, Morse was exposed early to the law, public service, and political life.

Morse pursued higher education at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, from which he graduated in 1833. While a student at Hamilton, he helped to found the Alpha Delta Phi Literary Society in 1832, an organization that later developed into the national fraternity Alpha Delta Phi. His role as a founding member reflected his interest in literature, debate, and intellectual fellowship, and it placed him among the early organizers of collegiate fraternal life in the United States. After completing his college studies, he read law in preparation for a legal career.

Following his legal studies, Morse was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law in Perryville, Ohio. His time in Ohio was relatively brief, and he soon returned to his native Cherry Valley, where he continued his legal practice. In addition to his work as an attorney, Morse engaged in real estate ventures in several Midwestern states, including Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. These investments, however, were not uniformly successful; he later claimed to have been swindled out of $3,000 by his partner, New York attorney Samuel Campbell, illustrating the financial risks associated with speculative land dealings in that era.

Morse’s legal and family background, combined with his Republican political alignment, led to his election to the Thirty-fifth Congress. He was elected as a Republican representative from New York and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1857, to March 3, 1859. His term in Congress coincided with mounting national tensions over slavery and sectional conflict. Morse was opposed to slavery, and his service took place during a critical phase in the debates that would soon culminate in the Civil War. After completing his single term, he did not seek re-election in 1858, returning instead to private life and his professional pursuits.

In his personal life, Morse married Anna Clark of Cherry Valley in 1839. The couple had two daughters, Anna and Sarah, and maintained their family home in Cherry Valley, reflecting Morse’s enduring ties to the community in which he had been born and to which he repeatedly returned over the course of his career. His family connections and long residence there reinforced his local standing as both an attorney and public figure.

Oliver Andrew Morse died in New York City on April 20, 1870. Following his death, his remains were returned to his hometown, and he was buried in Cherry Valley Cemetery in Cherry Valley, New York. His life encompassed legal practice, business ventures, collegiate literary and fraternal leadership, and national legislative service during one of the most consequential periods in the history of the United States.