Harry Morgan

Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsburg; spelled by himself as Harry Brasberg) was an American actor whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both December Bride (1954–1959) and Pete and Gladys (1960–1962); Officer Bill Gannon on Dragnet (1967–1970); Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey (1972–1974); and his starring role as Colonel Sherman T. Potter in M*A*S*H (1975–1983) and AfterMASH (1983–1985). Morgan also appeared as a supporting player in more than 100 films.

Family life

Morgan was born Harry Bratsberg in Detroit, the son of Hannah and Henry Bratsberg. His parents were of Swedish and Norwegian ancestry. In his interview with the Archive of American Television, Morgan spelled his Norwegian family surname as "Brasburg". Many sources, however, including some family records, list the spelling as "Bratsburg". According to one source, when Morgan's father Henry registered at junior high school, "the registrar spelled it Brasburg instead of Bratsberg. Bashful Henry did not demur."

Morgan's first marriage was to Eileen Detchon from 1940 until her death in 1985. During Morgan's time on M*A*S*H, a photograph of Detchon regularly appeared on the desk of his character. A drawing of a horse, seen on the wall behind Potter's desk, was drawn by Morgan's grandson, Jeremy Morgan. In addition, Eileen was the name of the wife of Officer Bill Gannon on Dragnet. Morgan had four sons with his first wife: Christopher, Charles, Paul, and Daniel (who died in 1989).

He then married Barbara Bushman Quine (granddaughter of silent film star Francis X. Bushman) on December 17, 1986. The marriage lasted until his death. In July 1996, he was arrested on domestic battery charges for striking his wife Barbara which caused her to be admitted to the hospital. Though she was left "bruised and bloodied," the case was later dismissed after Morgan attended court-ordered anger management and domestic violence counseling program.

Morgan had two siblings, Marguerite and Arnold (both deceased). (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources

• "Harry Bratsburg." New York City Marriage License Index 1908-1972 via MyHeritage. < link > Accessed 16 January 2025.
• "Harry Morgan." Wikipedia, revision of 4 November 2024. < link > Accessed 16 January 2025.
• Find a Grave
• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Nov 4 2024, 18:59:31 UTC