OF THE SADDLE AND SIRLOIN CLUB 87 



CREATOR OF THE LAND-GRANT COLLEGES 



28. The founder of American agricultural education was the 

 Hon. Justin S. Morrill of Vermont. Born at Stratford in that 

 staie on April 14, 1810, his early opportunities were somewhat 

 limited. His education was obtained in the common schools 

 and academies of the immediate vicinity and at the age of fifteen 

 he was forced to begin work as a clerk in a store. In 1828 he 

 entered the employ of a West India merchant at Portland, Me., 

 and three years later launched a partnership in merchandise 

 with Jededlah Harris of that city. This business was main- 

 tained until the death of Mr. Harris in 1855. 



As a young man, Senator Morrill evinced a studious dispo- 

 sition, reading continuously to supplement the deficiencies of 

 his education. His topics were varied, and he mastered even 

 "Blackstone's Commentaries" while a clerk in the Stratford 

 store. His memory was singularly retentive and his intellect 

 powerful; in 1850, he had become one of the best equipped men 

 in Vermont to hold a position requiring sagacity and training. 



He held no political aspirations as a young man, and although 

 elected a justice of peace, refused to serve. Hence it was a 

 distinct surprise and tribute to him when he was unanimously 

 nominated to succeed Congressman Andrew Tracy in 1854. 

 Mr. Morrill was seated in the 34th congress in 1855, on the 

 Whig ticket. He participate<l actively in the foundation of the 

 new Republican party. In Congress his influence increased 

 rapidly and he was a member of many important committees 

 during his six terms of service. His tastes soon led him to 

 questions of agriculture and financial importance, and as a 

 result he was an early advocate of a strong protective tariff. 



In 1858 Congressman Morrill added lustre to the fame he 

 had already gained in opposing the tariff bill in 1857, by intro- 

 ducing and pushing to a successful issue the first anti-polygamy 

 bill to affect the Utah Mormons. During the same year he intro- 



