Press Release
February 4, 2025
Contact: Michael Williams
Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-282-1889
michael.williams@history.ok.gov
www.okhistory.org/territorialmuseum
Oklahoma Territorial Museum Hosting Lunch and Learn With Author Michael J. Hightower
GUTHRIE, Okla. — Join the Oklahoma Territorial Museum on Friday, February 21, from noon to 1:30 p.m. for a Lunch and Learn with author Michael J. Hightower as he discusses his newest book “Justice for All: Dick T. Morgan, Frontier Lawyer & Common Man’s Congressman.” Hightower will also sign copies of his book.
“Justice for All” follows the life and career of Dick T. Morgan, a man whose public service reflected his dedication to fairness. Morgan became known as the go-to lawyer for land disputes in the late 1800s. He also built a notable real estate business while also promoting church-building across Oklahoma Territory. Morgan was an Oklahoma Congressman from 1909 until his death in 1920 and is credited with helping create the Federal Reserve System, Federal Trade Commission and Federal Farm Credit System.
Michael J. Hightower, Ph.D., is an independent historian and biographer. As a scholar and descendant of pioneer bankers, his fields of interest include the American frontier, banking and law.
Hightower holds degrees from Washington and Lee University, the University of Denver, Oklahoma State University and the University of Virginia. He has been a teacher and coach at college preparatory schools in Denver and Tulsa, founder and president of Council Oak Books in Tulsa, communications director for the Tulsa Metro Chamber and a visiting lecturer in Sociology at UVA. Nowadays, when he’s not writing in his home office just down the road from Monticello, he’s likely to be riding his horse or prowling through archives in his home state of Oklahoma, where most of his books are based and his family enterprises are headquartered. Hightower lives with his wife, Judy, in Oklahoma City and Charlottesville, Virginia.
he book’s foreword was written by Dr. Bob Blackburn, former executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society. Proceeds from the book will be given to the Friends of the Oklahoma History Center.
his event is free to the public and registration is not required. The Oklahoma Territorial Museum is located at 406 E. Oklahoma Ave. in Guthrie. For more information, please call 405-282-1889.
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed during the program do not necessarily represent those of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
The Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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Editor’s Note: Photos of the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and Carnegie Library are available upon request.
