The James N. Morgan collection includes biographical information, research, and writings that Morgan produced before, during, and after his time at the university, spanning the years 1939 to 2010 with the bulk being from 1947-1999. The collection is organized in three series: Biographical Material, Correspondence, and Research.
James N. Morgan was born March 1, 1918, in Corydon, Indiana on his grandfather's farm. He had one brother, Burton. He also lived in Iowa City, Seattle, and Evanston with his mother. He earned his B.A. from Northwestern University in 1939, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1941 and 1947, respectively. He was appointed to an assistant professorship at Brown University in 1947, immediately after receiving his doctorate. Morgan began working at the University of Michigan in 1949 as a postdoctoral fellow in economics and he was appointed to assistant program director at the University's Survey Research Center in 1951. He was promoted to program director in 1956 and became a full professor of economics in 1958. He was awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award and was the first professor at the University of Michigan to receive the W.S. Woytinsky Lectureship Award in 1977. Upon retiring from the university in 1987, he was awarded the titles of Research Scientist Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Economics. Over the course of almost 40 years at the University of Michigan, Morgan produced 30 books, 37 book chapters, and 25 journal articles. His research focused on consumer behavior, the distribution of income and wealth, economic survey methods, housing status, and more.
Morgan married Gladys Hassler in 1945 and had four children: Ken, Tim, John, and Janet. His wife passed away in 1996.
