Peter Morgan (automaker)
Encyclopedia
Peter Henry Geoffrey Morgan (November 3, 1919 – October 20, 2003) was an English
sports car
manufacturer
and Chairman of Morgan Motor Company
(MMC) from 1959 until his death in 2003. Peter inherited the Malvern, Worcestershire
-based company from his father H.F.S. Morgan
. He maintained the family firm's traditions of hand-crafted workmanship and slow organic growth, in spite of pressures to "modernize". His son Charles became MMC's managing director.
Peter was born in Chestnut Villa, his parents' house which was adjacent to the car factory in Malvern Link and where he grew up alongside his four sisters. He attended a local preparatory school, the Link School, before going to Oundle School
in Northamptonshire. On leaving school he attended the Chelsea College of Automobile and Aero Engineering obtaining a first class diploma in 1940. His first job was with the British Ermeto Corporation but he shortly left and joined the Royal Army Service Corps
(RASC) where he served in the motor workshops in Sierra Leone before taking over responsibility for running the Nairobi workshops and being promoted to Captain. he was demobilised in 1946.
In 1947 he joined the Morgan Motor Company as a draughtsman and joined the board as a director in 1949 becoming vice chairman in 1951. His first major project was the re-introduction of the Morgan 4/4 car in 1955.
H. F. S. Morgan, Peter's father, died in 1959 and he took over as chairman but had major problems sorting a serious tax problem.
Peter Morgan retired on his eightieth birthday in 1999 but remained on the board as a director until 2003.
Outside work he had a great interest in steam power and built an extensive ride-on miniature railway in his garden.
He married Jane Christie, a friend of his sisters', in 1940 and they had three children, Sonia, Jill and Charles. The couple divorced in the 1970s. Peter married again in 1982 to Heather who worked as a secretary in the factory.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
manufacturer
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
and Chairman of Morgan Motor Company
Morgan Motor Company
The Morgan Motor Company is a British motor car manufacturer. The company was founded in 1910 by Harry Frederick Stanley Morgan, generally known as "HFS" and was run by him until he died, aged 77, in 1959. Peter Morgan, son of H.F.S., ran the company until a few years before his death in 2003...
(MMC) from 1959 until his death in 2003. Peter inherited the Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
-based company from his father H.F.S. Morgan
H.F.S. Morgan
Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan known as H.F.S. was an English sports car manufacturer and founder of the Morgan Motor Company and its Chairman from 1937 until his death in 1959....
. He maintained the family firm's traditions of hand-crafted workmanship and slow organic growth, in spite of pressures to "modernize". His son Charles became MMC's managing director.
Peter was born in Chestnut Villa, his parents' house which was adjacent to the car factory in Malvern Link and where he grew up alongside his four sisters. He attended a local preparatory school, the Link School, before going to Oundle School
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
in Northamptonshire. On leaving school he attended the Chelsea College of Automobile and Aero Engineering obtaining a first class diploma in 1940. His first job was with the British Ermeto Corporation but he shortly left and joined the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
(RASC) where he served in the motor workshops in Sierra Leone before taking over responsibility for running the Nairobi workshops and being promoted to Captain. he was demobilised in 1946.
In 1947 he joined the Morgan Motor Company as a draughtsman and joined the board as a director in 1949 becoming vice chairman in 1951. His first major project was the re-introduction of the Morgan 4/4 car in 1955.
H. F. S. Morgan, Peter's father, died in 1959 and he took over as chairman but had major problems sorting a serious tax problem.
Peter Morgan retired on his eightieth birthday in 1999 but remained on the board as a director until 2003.
Outside work he had a great interest in steam power and built an extensive ride-on miniature railway in his garden.
He married Jane Christie, a friend of his sisters', in 1940 and they had three children, Sonia, Jill and Charles. The couple divorced in the 1970s. Peter married again in 1982 to Heather who worked as a secretary in the factory.