after the war, morgan resumed the practice of law in selma, alabama. according to insider information, after the death of james h. clanton in 1872, morgan allegedly succeeded him as the grand dragon of the ku klux klan in alabama, but other than a personal account, there is no physical or historical evidence of this. he was once again presidential elector on the democratic ticket in 1876 and was elected as a democrat to the united states senate in that year, being re-elected in 1882, 1888, 1894, 1900, and 1906, and serving from march 4, 1877, until his death. for much of his tenure, he served as senator alongside a fellow former confederate general, edmund w. pettus.