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. Morriczt of Vermont. Born at Stratford in that 
state 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 JEDEDIAH 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 CoNncRESSMAN ANDREW TRACY in 1854. 
Mr. Morritu was seated in the 34th congress in 1855, on the 
Whig ticket. He participated 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 ConcressMAN MorriLu 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- 
