Monroe Morton

Monroe Bowers Morton, nicknamed Pink Morton (July 31, 1856 – February 12, 1919) was a prominent building owner, publisher, building contractor, developer, and postmaster in late 19th-century Georgia. An African American, he lived most of his life in Athens, Georgia, where he published a newspaper and built the Morton Building. The building included the Morton Theatre on its upper floors, a vaudeville venue, and offices for African-American professionals including doctors and druggists (pharmacists) on its ground floor. Occupants included Dr. Ida Mae Johnson Hiram, the first Black woman to be licensed to practice medicine (dentistry) in the state, and Dr. William H. Harris, one of the founders of the Georgia State Medical Association of Colored Physicians, Dentists and Druggists.