By Rebecca Billman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

OXFORD - Former Oxford Mayor Edwin E. "Red" Morgan died Sunday at Oxford View Nursing Home. He was 86.

Mr. Morgan

Mr. Morgan served three terms as mayor from 1945 to 1951.

In addition, he practiced law in Cleveland, taught business law at Miami University until 1966 and was involved in several small businesses.

During the early '50s Mr. Morgan unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for Ohio secretary of state, receiving endorsements from the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Cincinnati Post.

He was a supporter of Miami's football and baseball teams, traveling to watch the Sun Bowl game in El Paso, Texas, in 1948. After the Miami victory, Mr. Morgan proclaimed the team's captain, Bill Hoover, Oxford's mayor for a day.

Mr. Morgan was born in Oak Hill, in Jackson County, Ohio, in 1916 to parents of Welsh descent.

He graduated from Oak Hill High School and attended Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va., before transferring to Miami. He graduated in 1938 and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1943.

Mr. Morgan moved to Oxford after a stint practicing law in Cleveland. He began teaching at Miami that year. He retired from teaching in 1966 but continued with his various business ventures.

In addition to practicing law out of his High Street office, he was an investment counselor for several years. He was also co-owner of a bowling alley in Columbus and owner of the Oxford Bowling Lanes.

In his later years, Mr. Morgan followed current events and enjoyed watching his bird feeders and animals in the nearby woods.

Survivors include: his wife, Eve; two sons, William of Oxford and David of Lexington; and a grandson.

Services have been held.

Memorials: Oxford Life Squad, 101 E. High St., Oxford 45056; or the McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, 110 N. Poplar St., Oxford 45056.

E-mail rbillman@enquirer.com