Edwin Barber Morgan (May 2, 1806 – October 13, 1881) was an entrepreneur and politician from the Finger Lakes region of western New York.

[1] Educated at the Cayuga Lake Academy, Morgan became a clerk in his father's mercantile enterprise at 13, and at 21 he took over the business.

[10] Morgan soon established a large enterprise in buying and shipping agricultural products, and also in boat-building, in which he was joined by his brothers.

With his brothers, he also had extensive gypsum beds in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a starch-making business at Oswego, New York.

[11] In addition to his business career, Morgan was active in the New York Militia as inspector of the 2nd Division, which included units from Cayuga, Wayne, Ontario, Yates, Tompkins, and Seneca Counties.

[12] According to New York's 1827 militia law, each division was authorized an inspector at the rank of colonel, and each brigade an inspector at the rank of major;[13] from this military service, Morgan derived the title "Colonel" Morgan, by which he was known even after he was no longer active in the militia.

[17] Early in his Congressional service, Morgan resigned as president of Wells Fargo but remained a member of the board of directors.

[20] An original shareholder of The New York Times, Morgan came to the paper's rescue in the midst of its fight against William Magear Tweed in 1871.