Morgan City has a rich and colorful history. In 1876, the town’s name was changed from Brashear City in honor of Charles Morgan, steamship and rail magnate, who dredged the Atchafalaya Channel to accommodate large sea-faring vessels. Ever the entrepreneur, Morgan played a pivotal role in the development of commerce and transportation throughout the south from 1850 until his death in 1878.
Also known as the gateway to the Gulf of Mexico, Morgan City was the birthplace and home of many notable people, including politicians, professional athletes, famous musicians, and businessmen.
Edwin Hawley Dwyer
Edwin “Eddy” Dyer was born in 1899 in Morgan City. He was a natural athlete and in school excelled in track and field, baseball, and football. The left-handed Dwyer went on to play Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, where he pitched in 129 games over six seasons. Dwyer later managed the Cardinals with great success, before leaving the sport to tend to real estate ventures in Texas.
Raymond Emile Poole, a.k.a. Mo B. Dick
The singer, music producer, and rapper Raymond E. Poole is better known as Mo B. Dick. Born in 1965, he was one of the founders of the Medicine Men, which produced the majority of No Limit Records‘ releases in the late 1990s. Today, he is busy producing music for TV shows, movie soundtracks, and video games. As a teen, he taught himself to play guitar and is a member of the funk band, Merging Traffic Fellowship.
Anthony Joseph Guarisco, Jr.
Anthony “Tony” Guarisco, born in 1938, represented Senate District 21 (including the Louisiana parishes of St. Mary, St. Martin, and Assumption) from 1976–1988. The former Democratic Senator comes from a large Italian-American family in Morgan City. In the late 70s, Guarisco successfully sponsored a bill to allow doctors in Louisiana to prescribe medical marijuana for those in chemotherapy treatment and who suffer from glaucoma.
Elmer “Geronimo” Pratt
Elmer Pratt was born in Morgan City, where his father worked in the scrap metal business. He served two tours in Vietnam, studied political science at UCLA, and after receiving multiple honors for his military service, became a high-ranking member of the Black Panthers in the late ’60s. Elmer, also known as Geronimo Pratt, served nearly three decades in prison after being wrongfully convicted of murder.
The conviction was later vacated after it was determined that prosecution hid evidence that could have influenced jurors. Pratt used his experience to work as a human rights activist for others who were unjustly convicted.
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