Edward Leland Clark Morse (June 1855 - July 19, 1933), author and educator, was born in Dover, New Hampshire. He completed his primary education at the Quincy Grammar School and his secondary education at the Boston Latin School. In 1873, Morse enrolled at Harvard College and received his bachelor’s degree in 1877 before enrolling at Lake Forest University to complete his LL.B. in 1893. He went on to complete his postgraduate studies at the University of Chicago, the University of Wisconsin, and Cornell University.

Morse was principal of the Phil Sheridan School in Chicago for 39 years, from 1889 - 1928. During his tenure, he claimed the Sheridan School was the “most cosmopolitan school in the world,” with 1,200 pupils of 26 different nationalities. At one point in his administrative career Morse admitted to corporally punishing a young boy as punishment for taking a book that allegedly did not belong to him. The student’s mother went to the authorities and eventually an arrest warrant was issued for Morse, who insisted the discipline the boy had received was appropriate. At this point in time, corporal punishment in schools was outlawed in Chicago. Other than this bout of controversy, Morse was a revered principal and educator. He authored several textbooks used extensively in schools and colleges, including “Spanish-American Life” and “Principles of Government.”

Edward Leland Clarke Morse married Louise Penn Weaver of Chicago. Together they raised two daughters.

In 1900, Morse joined the staff of the Cuban Summer School at Harvard as a Spanish instructor for the English-speaking staff, and as a Lecturer on School Administration for the Cuban teachers, which he delivered in Spanish.

Outside of the schooling system, he served as president of the Sociedad Hispana y Americana, and even held a certificate to practice law in the Supreme Court of the United States. He was a member of the American Historical Association, the American Economic Association, the American Geographical Association, and the American Association for Labor Legislation.

Edward Leland Clark Morse died in Long Beach, California on July 19, 1933. He was 78 years old.