Mordecai Vmor-do-.klV In the biblical book of Esther, the cousin or guardian of Esther. Mordecai was a Jew who offended Haman, minister of King Ahasuerus. Haman persuaded the king to order Mordecai’s execu¬ tion and the destruction of all the Jews in the Persian empire, but Esther, Ahasuerus’s beloved Jewish queen, pleaded for him to change his mind, and Ahasuerus ordered Haman hanged, named Mordecai to his position, and allowed the Jews to strike out against their enemies. The deliverance of the Jews of Persia from destruction is celebrated in the festival of Purim.
More, Saint Thomas (b. Feb. 7,1477, London, Eng.—d. July 6,1535, London; canonized May 19, 1935; feast day June 22) English statesman and humanist. He studied at Oxford and was successful as a lawyer from 1501. He served as an undersheriff of London (1510-18) and endeared himself to Londoners as a fair judge and consultant. He wrote the notable History of King Richard III (1513-18) and the renowned Utopia (1516), which was an immediate success with humanists, including Desiderius Erasmus. In 1517 More was named to the king’s council, and he became Henry VIII’s secretary and confidant. In 1523 he was elected speaker of the House of Commons. He wrote A Dialogue Concerning Heresies (1529) to refute heretical writings. After the fall of Cardinal Wolsey (1529), More succeeded him as lord chancellor, but he resigned in 1532 when he could not affirm Henry’s divorce from Catherine. He also refused to accept the Act of Supremacy. In 1534 More was charged with high trea¬ son and imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he wrote his Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation. In 1535 he was tried and sentenced to death by hanging, which the king commuted to beheading.
Moreau \m6-'ro\, Gustave (b. April 6, 1826, Paris, France—d. April 18, 1898, Paris) French painter. He developed a distinctive style in the Symbolist mode, becoming known for his erotic paintings of mythologi¬ cal and religious subjects. Such works as Oedipus and the Sphinx (1864) and Dance of Salome (1876) have often been described as decadent. He made a number of technical experiments, including scraping his canvases; his nonfigurative paintings, done in a loose manner with thick impasto, have led some to call him a herald of Abstract Expressionism.
Moreau, Jeanne (b. Jan. 23, 1928, Paris, France) French film actress. At age 20 she became the youngest member of the Comedie-Francaise. She
made her screen debut in The Last Love (1949) and won acclaim for her roles in Louis Malle’s Frantic (1957) and The Lovers (1958). Though not conventionally beautiful, she became noted for her sensuality and sophis¬ tication. She starred in Moderato cantabile (1960), La notte (1961), and Jules et Jim (1961), playing a woman loved by two men in the movie that established her as an international star, and later in The Trial (1962), Diary of a Chambermaid (1964), and The Bride Wore Black (1968). She also directed films, including Lumiere (1976) and LAdolescente (1978).
Morehouse College Private, historically black, men’s liberal arts col¬ lege in Atlanta, Ga. It was founded as the Augusta Institute, a seminary, in 1867 and renamed in 1913 in honour of Henry L. Morehouse, an administrator. It offers programs in business, education, humanities, and physical and natural sciences. It is part of an educational consortium in which six institutions, including Spelman College, exchange faculty, stu¬ dents, facilities, and curricula. Notable alumni include Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader Julian Bond, and filmmaker Spike Lee.
morel \m3-'rel\ Any of various species of edible mushrooms in the gen¬ era Morchella and Verpa. Morels have a convoluted or pitted head, or cap, vary in shape, and occur in diverse habitats. The edible M. esculenta, found in woods during early summer, is among the most highly prized edible fungi. The bell morel (Verpa), an edible mushroom with a bell¬ shaped cap, is found in woods and in old orchards in early spring. False morels, or lorchels, are represented by the genera Gyromitra and Helvella. Most species of Gyromitra are poisonous.
Morelia \mo-'ral-ya\ City (pop., 2000: 549,996), capital of Michoacan state, west-central Mexico. It was founded in 1541 as Valladolid, at the site of a Tarascan Indian settlement. It replaced Patzcuaro as the provin¬ cial capital in 1582. During the Mexican wars for independence it served briefly as the base of operations for the revolution; in 1828 its name was changed from Valladolid to Morelia in honor of revolutionary leader Jose Marfa Morelos. It is the commercial centre of an agricultural region. Its educational institutions include the University of Michoacan and the Cole- gio San Nicolas (1540), Mexico’s oldest institution of higher learning.
Morelos \mo-'ra-los\ State (pop., 2000: 1,555,296), central Mexico. It covers 1,911 sq mi (4,950 sq km), and its capital is Cuernavaca. Located on the southern slope of the central Mexican plateau, it is one of the country’s most flourishing agricultural states, with valleys that produce a variety of agricultural products. It was named for Jose Maria Morelos and was the birthplace of Emiliano Zapata, both of whom were heroes of Mexi¬ co’s wars for independence.
Moreton \'mor-t 3 n\ Bay Inlet of the Pacific Ocean, southeastern coast of Queensland, Australia. It is 65 mi (105 km) long and 20 mi (32 km) wide, and it serves as the gateway to Brisbane. In 1770 British navigator Capt. James Cook named the bay (misspelling it) for the earl of Morton. The first settlement on the mainland was a penal colony established at Redcliffe in the early 19th century.
Morgan Breed of light horse founded by a Vermont horse (foaled 1793, died 1821) named after his owner, Justin Morgan (1747-1797). The “Jus¬ tin Morgan horse,” a blend of Thoroughbred, Arabian, and other elements, was a compact, heavily muscled, short-legged horse of great style, energy, and endurance. Because he alone founded the breed, he is the world’s best example of prepotency (ability to pass one’s traits to one’s offspring). Modem Morgans are used mostly for riding. They are 14.1-15.2 hands (57-61 in., 145-155 cm) high, weigh 900-1,100 lbs (400-500 kg), and resemble the Arabian in conformation and endurance.
Morgan, Daniel (b. 1736, Hunterdon county, N.J.—d. July 6, 1802, Winchester, Va., U.S.) American Revolutionary army officer. He was com¬ missioned a captain of the Virginia riflemen and fought under Benedict Arnold in the unsuccessful assault on Quebec (1775). In 1777 he joined Gen. Horatio Gates in the Battle of Saratoga. In 1780 he was made briga¬ dier general and fought in the South, defeating a large British force at Cowpens, S.C. In 1794 he led Virginia militiamen to help suppress the Whiskey Rebellion.
Morgan, Sir Henry (b. 1635, Llanrhymney, Glamorgan, Wales—d. Aug. 25,1688, probably Lawrencefield, Jam.) Welsh buccaneer. In the sec¬ ond Anglo-Dutch War, he commanded buccaneers against the Dutch colo¬ nies in the Caribbean. After capturing Puerto Principe in Cuba and sacking the city of Portobelo, he set out in 1670 with 36 ships and 2,000 buccaneers to capture the major Spanish colonial city of Panama, defeated a large Spanish force, and sacked and burned the city. On the return journey, he
Green moray (Gymnothorax funebris ).
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deserted his followers and took most of the booty. In 1674 he was knighted and sent to Jamaica as deputy governor. An exaggerated account of Mor¬ gan’s exploits created his popular reputation as a bloodthirsty pirate.
Morgan, J(ohn) P(ierpont) (b. April 17, 1837, Hartford, Conn., U.S.—d. March 31, 1913, Rome, Italy) U.S. financier. The son of a fin¬ ancier, he began his career as an accountant in 1857 and became an agent for his father’s banking company in 1861. In 1871 he was named a part¬ ner in the firm of Drexel, Morgan, which became the chief source of U.S. government financing. In 1895 it became J.R Morgan and Co. In the 1880s and ’90s Morgan reorganized several major railroads, notably the Erie Railroad and the Northern Pacific. He was instrumental in achieving rail¬ road rate stability and discouraging overly chaotic competition, and he became one of the world’s most powerful railroad magnates, controlling about 5,000 mi (8,000 km) of railway by 1902. After the panic of 1893, Morgan formed a syndicate to supply the U.S. Treasury’s depleted gold reserves. He led the financial community in averting a general financial collapse following the stock-market panic of 1907. He financed a series of giant industrial consolidations, organizing the mergers that formed General Electric, United States Steel Corp., and International Harvester Co. (see Navistar International Corp.). A noted art collector, he donated many artworks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art; his book collection and the building that housed it became the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York City.