John Morgan (etiquette expert)
Anthony John Morgan (28 May 1959–9 July 2000) was an English expert on etiquette.
Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, the son of a Scottish Shell employee, he studied at Cheltenham Art College, where he supplemented his grant by playing piano in a local restaurant. On graduation he moved to London, and began working as assistant to the Australian fashion consultant Percy Savage. When the Gentlemen's Quarterly (GQ) was founded in 1988, he was signed up as a style writer, eventually rising to become style editor.
Morgan defined good manners as the path of least offence.[1] His Saturday column in The Times "Modern Manners" ran for three years,[2] answering readers' questions on everything from the correct fork to use at the dinner table, to how best to tell friends that the partner you would like to bring to their wedding will be of the same sex as you; Morgan was widely believed to be homosexual.[3] Morgan was also the author of Debrett's Etiquette and Modern Manners, published by etiquette specialists Debrett's in 1996 and republished in 1999.
Morgan dedicated himself to living the life of a Mayfair boulevardier, and lived in a flat in the Albany just off Piccadilly, which contained: sixty made-to-measure Saville Row suits; 300 monogrammed shirts; and ninety pairs of shoes. He cashed his cheques at Claridge's and was passionate about opera.
On the evening of 9 July 2000, Morgan was found dead near his home by a neighbour. The coroner's verdict was open, but with a suspicion of suicide.
[edit] Publications
- Debrett's New Guide to Etiquette and Modern Manners (1999)
- The "Times" Book of Modern Manners: A Guide Through the Minefield of Contemporary Etiquette (2000)
