Talk:Justin Smith Morrill
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"he attended Middlebury College where he joined The Delta Upsilon Fraternity"
I have removed the above statement because I can find no evidence of its validity. As stated below, I am on the Board of Directors at the Justin Smith Morrill Homestead. I have also read both biographies of the man, led guided tours of the homestead and consulted with the Strafford town historian and there is no evidence that the Senator ever attended college. He was unable to afford to do so, and his father believed that if he couldn't send all of his children to college he couldn't favor Justin. terrapin 12:56, 11 September 2007 (UTC)
Below is the response from our Fraternity Historian and Director of Alumni Development for Delta Upsilon International Fraternity:
"Just as Justin Morrill received an honorary degree from the University of Pennsylvania, so did he receive an honorary membership into the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. Because of his birth-tie to the state of Vermont, he was reeled in as an honorary initiate by the Middlebury Chapter by virtue of the fact of his social standing as a member of the United States Congress. Records show that Morrill was initiated in 1860, which would have been a year before his Tariff Act became public.
So, while it was obviously incorrect in saying that he attended Middlebury College, he was indeed initiated as an alumnus into Delta Upsilon Fraternity. One need not attend college to receive an honorary membership, which does indeed make one a member in full and good standing.
Craig S. Sowell Fraternity Historian"
"He was found dead in Washington DC, with tooth marks on his bleeding hand, and red feet. Because of his red feet, the people of strafford wil not wear red socks. This tradition was brought around by the fact that Justin Morrill's feet were red when he was found, and the fact that 2 people dissapeard mysteriously while wearing red socks. It is said that Justin Morril haunts the town where he once lived."
I am on the Board of Directors at the Justin Morrill Homestead in Strafford, and can't say that I have ever heard of the hauntings or the red socks. It seems to me that the above statements (which I removed from the article) need citations. terrapin 03:17, 29 December 2006 (UTC)
