John Gottlieb Morris

John Gottlieb Morris (November 14, 1803 – October 10, 1895) was a Lutheran minister who played an influential role in the evolution of the Lutheran church in America. He was also an early American entomologist and one of the first to specialize in the study of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths).

Biography Morris was born on November 14, 1803, in York, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of nine children born to John Samuel Gottlieb Morris and Barbara Myers Morris. His father had emigrated from Germany in 1776 to fight in the American Revolution. His mother was from Baltimore County, Maryland. After the war, the senior Morris settled in York, married Barbara Myers and became a successful physician. Both parents were devout members of the Lutheran Church. Morris was baptized on January 8, 1804, in York's Christ Lutheran Church.

When Morris was five, his father died, leaving a substantial fortune to his wife and children. Morris' oldest brother, Charles, stepped in and became the boy's guardian. Morris studied first at York Academy, attended Princeton and then graduated from Dickinson College in 1823. He demonstrated a strong aptitude for language and became fluent in German, Greek, Latin, French, and Hebrew.

When Morris joined the clergy, Lutheranism faced an internal struggle between liberals who sought to align with mainstream American Protestantism and conservative German immigrants who wished to maintain their traditions and language. As pastor of First English for more than thirty years, Morris was a leading proponent of progressive, English-speaking Lutheranism in Baltimore. He also participated in inter-denominational efforts and became president of the Baltimore Ministerial Association. When he left his parish in 1860, he continued to serve on a part-time basis at St. Mark's and Third English, both in Baltimore. Morris was also active on state and national levels, serving seven times as president of the Maryland Synod and twice as president of the General Synod.

In addition to his religious work, Morris had a keen interest in science, education, and history. He was one of the earliest American entomologists to specialize in the study of butterflies. In 1842 he became a founding member of the Entomological Society of Pennsylvania, the first society in America devoted to entomology. In 1846 he toured Europe, meeting with European entomologists and viewing the insect collections at some of the major museums. In 1860 Morris published his Catalogue of the Described Lepidoptera of North America and followed with the Synopsis of the Described Lepidoptera of North America in 1862. These were the first catalogs of American butterflies written by an American. Morris also wrote and lectured extensively on the relationship between science and religion. Unlike many of his colleagues in American entomology, he never accepted Darwinism and instead remained a supporter of Georges Cuvier's catastrophism.

Morris died on October 10, 1895.

Works Morris was a prolific writer who published hundreds of books, pamphlets and articles on a number of subjects, including Martin Luther, the Reformation, German history, Maryland history, and the relation between science and religion. A few of his publications include: 1838 Geology and Revelation 1844 Necessities and Blessings of the Reformation 1846 Natural History as Applied to Farming and Gardening 1855 Martin Behaim, the German Astronomer 1860 Catalogue of the Described Lepidoptera of North America 1862 Synopsis of the Described Lepidoptera of North America 1874 The Lords of Baltimore 1882 Luther at Wartburg: A Reformation Story of 1521 1896 Life Reminiscences of an Old Lutheran Minister