James R. Morgan III
James R. Morgan III is a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he completed his undergraduate studies in Communications and Africana Studies. He is the recipient of the 2019 Dr. Charles H. Wesley Medal of History and the 2020 Phyllis Wheatley Book Award for Non-Fiction Biography.
James is an active Prince Hall Freemason and as such he serves as Worshipful Grand Historian & Archivist of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. He has authored several scholarly writings on African American Freemasonry, fraternalism and genealogy. He is also an Honorary Fellow and Life Member of the Phylaxis Research Society.
Upcoming Speaking Engagements
Past Speaking Engagements
The Lost Empire
With The Lost Empire: Black Freemasonry in the Old West (1867-1906), James R. Morgan III artfully transports readers to the period when western outlaws ruled the territories and brings them face to face with the black men who brought enlightenment, guidance and protection to the formerly enslaved through organization. At the vanguard was Captain William Dominick Matthews–Freemason, Civil War officer and abolitionist–who became one of the most illustrious and controversial figures of his time.