 He took an active part in the formation of the Literary Association and the Mechanics Institute, and was an early supporter of St Peter's College.He was one of the earliest men to take an interest in horse racing in South Australia, and Morphettville Racecourse was named after him.Also named after him were the suburbs of Morphettville and Morphett Vale, Morphett Street in the Adelaide city centre, Morphett Road in the city's western suburbs and the state electoral district of Morphett.